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  1. Those Who are Called Upon “But they all with one accord began to make excuses” (Luke 14:18-20, New King James Version – NKJV)”. As you read the 14th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, there you would only find parts from a very long lecture, in which Christ had elaborated on common principles that are applicable to the whole of humanity. The parable underlines the fact that a person arranged for a grand dinner and invited many people and the ones who were invited to the dinner are also being described in those verses. The words “invitation” and “culture” have something in common. On one hand, the word “culture” represents the material and spiritual achievements of a nation. On the other hand, every newly-introduced idea or manifestation is also a representation of a new type of a culture. Moreover, every transformation from one state of mind to another state of mind represents a brand new type of a culture as well. The word “invitation” implies a personal journey from one state of common understanding and interpretation of life to a new, advanced state of consciousness. And indeed, in order to be invited to the grand dinner, we have to leave our everyday life behind and enter a new festive disposition. One may ask what is the relationship between the three people who refused to join the dinner. The first one refused under the pretext that they needed to take care of their land; the second one refused under the pretext that the five pairs of oxen they bought need their attention while the third one mentioned their spouse as an excuse. Those three archetypes of people, who rejected the dinner invitation, are three categories of human beings who are unwilling to accept the New Culture. The first category of people gives up because they need to take care of their land; the second category refuses because they wish to work with their oxen, while the third category rejects the invitation because they have already married. Those three categories of people who have denied the Christ culture can be likened to the seed that has fallen onto barren ground. The first category of people are the seed that fell on the road; the second category depicts the seed, which fell between the thorns and the third - the seed that fell on a stone. Christ offered a new path and a new culture to many people, thereby inviting them to a new way of life, but they all refused to join forces with Him. They preferred to work on their land, to conquer more land and to expand their borders. The Jews were that first category of people who refused the invitation under the pretense of the need to cultivate their fields. They said to Christ: "We disagree with your heretical doctrine." Next, they crucified Him. Christ demonstrated the new approach to life to the Latin race as well, but it nevertheless chose to deal with “the five pairs of oxen” instead and also declined to join the new culture. After all, the Latin race created the so-called Holy Inquisition, supposedly in the name of Christ! History bears witness to the fact that around fifty million people have been tortured by the very same inquisition. The third category of people are the modern day ones, who marry and completely give up on the acceptance of the new culture and the new way of life. They reason as follows: "Why do we need a new culture, a new life? As long as there is something for us to eat and drink, we shall eat, drink and rejoice with our spouses and our children", but this is by no means a sound philosophy. That is what king Solomon, who had three hundred women and six hundred concubines, was affirming as well. Having tried all the earthly pleasures, Solomon concluded: "… and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 1:14, NKJV). Today both the believers and the non-believers quote the thought once expressed by king Solomon, thus having in mind both the physical and spiritual life, but this assumption is a misconception. Solomon drew his conclusions after he had tried all the transient earthly pleasures. If you draw the same conclusions, could you possibly confirm that you have also, just like Solomon, personally experienced the vanity of all earthly pleasures? If you have not experienced them, you then have no right to speak like Solomon did and if you draw your own life’s conclusions from your personal life’s misdemeanors, then your understanding of the ubiquitous Life is without any solid grounds. What is symbolized by the “fields” and “land” that are being cultivated by the first category of people? The answer is - the human body. The young woman marvels at her own beauty in the mirror several times a day and being happy with her own self, she doesn’t want to marry. Why? She does not desire to become a mother, to give birth to children – she prefers to marvel at her own beauty instead. The young man, on the other hand, roams freely in the streets with his fashionable walking stick and also doesn’t want to marry and become a father, because that would limit his freedom. That is the type of choice, which is made by those who choose to “cultivate their own fields” only, regardless of whether they are young or old, but then again, the old grandma nevertheless says that the young people are just acting foolishly. It's not foolish what young people do - not all young people are reckless and not all elderly people are wise. Are the small streams murky when they have just left the spring? Initially, all the small streams are clean, but as they move ahead and pass through the earthly layers, they collect sludge that makes them impure. Therefore, all young people, just like the rivers, are clear and clean at the beginning of their lives. As people move on with their lives, they gather different impurities and get old. Old age is not a bad thing – it implies a progressive forward movement. However, what could be possibly expected from those young people who dress and undress themselves several times a day and put their shoes on to only take them off immediately in order to try on any newer and more modern shoes? – The answer is that nothing can be expected from such people. They are standing in front of a mirror, just looking at themselves and if they are to be invited to Christ’s dinner, they would certainly refuse. Why would they refuse? – because they are working on their own “land”; they are “cultivating their own fields”. Then, these people would pass themselves for nationalists, patriots and servants to their respective countries. Do not trust such people, as they only think about their own new clothes and shoes, houses and properties. Such fake patriots are to be seen today in all countries all over the world. They speak about the splendor of their homeland, but, in fact, they work to their own personal benefit only. The second category of people are those who refused the dinner in order to enjoy “the five pairs of oxen”. The five pairs of oxen symbolize the five human senses. This second category of people represents those who enjoy the earthly pleasures. Life is a give and take for them and they would inevitably choose money as their highest priority. Their main life goal is money. And they say, as the Bulgarian writer Slaveykov put it in one of his poems: "Oh money, money, my all-powerful queen; Without you I’m in hell and with you in my pocket I reside in paradise." This second category of people acts as they please and wherever you may go - in a tavern, in a theater or to a concert, such people are invariably in the very first row. Where there are bountiful pleasures and fun, they are always prominently seated. The desire to fully utilize those “five pairs of oxen” – that is all they can perceive through their five senses. If you tell them something about Christ's doctrine, about the new, upcoming culture, they will answer: "This is unimportant now – in today’s world the “five pairs of oxen” are important." In their opinion, the one who goes beyond the five senses and appreciates life in a different way, is a stupid, loony and uncultured man. You see this type of people in all the cafes and beer gardens, with full glasses in front of them, their legs crossed and telling each other stories about the meaning of life. Where is the meaning of life to be found - in “the cultivation of the fields” or in the work with “the five pairs of oxen”? You can try these belief-systems - I do not mind those who work on “the land” or trade with their “five pairs of oxen”, but I say that whoever sacrifices their higher consciousness for the sake of their lower instincts, does not understand the meaning of real life. Everyone needs to ask themselves what their life purpose is. As the child grows, it becomes interested in its own physical growth. It constantly measures its height, compares it to that of other children in order to see how much it has developed. The little girl, for example, wants to be as mature as her mother, to have her mother’s black, long hair and her mother’s eyebrows, which are black and curved like a rainbow and also to have her mother’s red and slightly plump lips. All those desires are achievable and the young girl would eventually become a beautiful slender lady, who would enjoy her own beauty and the others around her would enjoy her good looks as well. Typically, the young boy would want to become like his father, to have the same mustache and beard and to become strong and powerful. As the boy grows up, he eventually becomes a handsome young man who starts paying attention to the young ladies around him. However, the day comes when both the young man and the young woman lose their youth, their hairs turn grey until finally the old age settles in and then their backs become hunched and so they say to the young people: "Dear children, our life is over. Vanity… everything is vanity." These are the people who have tried their “five pairs of oxen”. They are the ones who revolve around their five senses only. And then I ask these people: “Did you try to plow the soil with the five pairs of oxen?” – and they answer: "Yes, we tried, we plowed along with them", to which I respond: "As long as you've done it already, you should know that there is a life’s purpose higher than just plowing along and you should strive to attain it. Next, I am now moving on to the third category of people, to those who think only of themselves and want to be in possession of a high social standing. If you tell them about the doctrine of Christ, they would immediately ask you what this doctrine has to do with their social status. They are already “married” to their social and professional ranks and would just say: “What do the teachings of the Christ have in common with our family? Just leave us alone!" For two thousand years, Christ has been inviting all people and all nations to the grand dinner in order to explain to them the principles of the Great Divine Life, but they still keep on rejecting His invitation. What could they expect from their own refusal? What happened with the Jews? Where did the great Roman Empire go? Likewise, the modern society of nowadays is going through a major crisis as well. As of recently, has it become evident that the salvation of humanity lies in the unification of all people who need to live as brothers among themselves. Only now, does it begin to dawn upon people that the humankind does not live on the Earth only and humans start to perceive their lives in the same way they perceive plant life for example – there is the life of the roots, which is the low, material life and there is also the life of the branches, which has a higher spiritual purpose. Earthly life gravitates towards the center of the Earth, while the spiritual life aims towards the center of the Sun. The Earth inhabitants, who live in the “roots of life”, have one type of life interpretation, while the inhabitants of the spiritual world, who live in “the branches” of the Tree of Life, have totally different notions. However, life in itself is not limited to the roots or branches only. There is more types of life – the life of the blossoms and the life of the fruits, for example. When you come to understand and live the life of the fruits, then the process of maturing would have already started for you. Christ spoke to his disciples in parables to explain to them the reasons why people could not yet enter the Kingdom of God. The reasons lie in the fact that people's attention is attracted to “their fields”, “their oxen” and to the high-flying positions they occupy in society. Let the “fields”, the “oxen” and the societal positions all exist and thrive, but the human beings still fail to envisage how they may enter the Kingdom of God, while they are willing to do so only in the presence of their “land”, their “oxen” and their occupations. How would one visit a friend who lives a few miles away? One would harness the horse-wagon and would make their way. Then, when they get to their friend's house, they'll stop the horse-wagon and will be greeted by their friends. Next, the visitors would bring the car into the yard, send the horses into the barn, then they would enter the house, shall remove their coats and only afterwards would they enter the guest room. The traveler’s horse, wagon and luggage in this example represent both the “land” and the “oxen” that prevent one from entering into the Kingdom of God. The coat worn by the visitor represents the temporary professional and social responsibilities one has momentarily assumed during their life on Earth. One should leave their social and professional occupations behind and would only then enter the “guest room”, i.e. enter the Kingdom of God. Don’t the court judges also do the same? When the judges preside over the court, they put on an official robe. After reading the verdict, the judges take off their official robes and remain with their ordinary garments to live and interact as any other ordinary people. For example, while on the battlefield, soldiers instill fear into their enemies, but once they lay down their rifles and bayonets, they become ordinary people. Do you think that this way of living could be described as a culture of a higher rank and purpose? When people pass away, they leave their “fields”, “oxen”, wives and children behind and go on to live in the invisible world on their own only. What happens to their earthly culture? - Everything that has made them cultured, civilized and extraordinary on Earth remains buried in the ground and one leaves the Earth the very same way they entered it. What remained of the Jewish culture when they lost their land and became Egyptian slaves? One may say that the Egyptians were cruel and were killing the Jewish babies. Don’t people do the same today? Doesn’t everyone do the same thing? One kills the noble and Divine within oneself and then pretends to be a cultured, civilized person. To kill the Divine within oneself means to be killing the children of God. How about those who refuse Christ’s invitation? Are they ready for the new culture? - No, they are not. “Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind” (Luke 14:21, NKJV). These newly-summoned people did actually accept the invitation and therefore they have become the bearers of the future, new culture. What are the character traits of those represented by the so-called “maimed” guests - those are the ones who do not steal and do not abuse that which belongs to others. Which are the ones who are “halt”? – those who do not commit crimes. Who are “blind”? – those who have no greed. Every greedy person eagerly strives for money and considers them a necessary unit of exchange, but fails to appreciate the Kingdom of God, which brings the only true wealth. Money and coal, for example, have exactly the same value and meaning in the Kingdom of God. Indeed, money are only of value in the Kingdom of God when they serve a noble cause. On the other hand, the one whose hands are tied against committing any evil crime, has a heart, which is free and open to Love. Such a person is denoted by the term “mailmed” in the above verses. Furthermore, whoever has no envy and does no evil, is depicted as the “halt”. “Then the master told his servant: ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet” (Luke 14:23-24, NKJV). Who are the ones who were called upon – those are the poor and the maimed, the halt and the blind. They are the ones who accepted the invitation. Outwardly, they may look ugly and unrefined, but a day will come when they too will show their beauty and strength in terms of good deeds and great feats. People would love them for their deeds the way they nowadays love the rich for their money. It is better to be loved for one’s deeds rather than only for one’s money and outer beauty. Which is better? - to be outwardly beautiful as the sunlight, which illuminates everything during the day and disappears at night or to be inwardly beautiful and illuminated by the Divine Light? The first type of beauty is what we call physical beauty and the second type of beauty we call beauty of the human soul. The first type of beauty is manifested during the day, when even without it, it is anyway bright everywhere around us; the second type of beauty shows its face in the evening and illuminates the path of those who suffer and are tormented; it shows the path to the oppressed and those who have lost their way. So that is why it is said that the beautiful things grow in darkness. The biblical king David said: "Hide me under your wings (Psalm 91 Prayer)." The Bulgarians who believe in witchcraft do not allow the young and beautiful girls to go out during the day in order to protect them against any possible evil spells being cast upon them. What are those evil spells? – those are the unsavory human thoughts and desires. Such thoughts and desires contain an evil force of great magnitude. In some cases, such thoughts and desires are more terrifying than the weapons of war, as, for example, a book of a writer, full of distorted thoughts and feelings brings poison into the minds and hearts of many generations, since the war cannons are temporarily dangerous only, while the war is still ongoing. Christianity comes to save mankind from the bad and distorted thoughts and desires that have been in the minds of men for thousands of years. One may say that Christianity is a new teaching, which is only two thousand years old. This is definitely not a new teaching. It has been around through three different eras: the first era dates back to the creation of the First Man in the image and likeness of God. This Man is still living in paradise today. The second epoch stretches from the time of the second man, who was made of earth and was cast away from Paradise for his disobedience. The third era is the time of the present humankind, when man left paradise at one’s own accord and was dressed in leather. This is the modern day man who affirms to believe in Christianity. The contemporary people have a very limited understanding of Christianity. The attitude of some believers to Christianity is the same as the attitude of the illiterate towards an expensive, well-bound book. The illiterate examines the book and its binding, checks what kind of cover it has, where it is made, what the name of the publisher is and so on. After doing the research, the illiterate tells their acquaintances that this is a good and well-bound book. Such observations are important, but above all, one should be able to read and understand the book’s content and make use of it. Christianity is a valuable and useful book that a person may benefit from, only when it is opened and read. In this “book of Christianity” everyone would find the methods and laws to live by for the sake of harmony and peace. If this book remains closed though, then it does not make any sense. It is the same as if the doctor has a valuable medicine that gives life to people without dispensing it to those who need it. Another example would be to examine the bottle containing the medicine from outside only, to turn it up and down, but not to open it. Alternatively, if the bottle is broken, then the medicine would be lost. What is the benefit of the book and the bottle when they cannot be utilized? No matter how good they might be looking on the outside, they would not contribute anything whatsoever to one’s improvement. There is another book more valuable than the ones that a person could visually inspect and this “book” is the human soul, as it contains all the secrets concerning the Divine Life, from the moment this world was created to the moment humans shall reunite with God. When something is mentioned about the human soul, many people are asking themselves, if the soul really exists or not, while very few people tend to open and read the "book“ of the soul. A famous Greek philosopher once said: "Know thyself." This thought reflects the doctrine of the soul and for human beings to be able to recognize their own Divinity, they need to open the books of their souls and read from them in order to discover Life’s secrets. The Holy Bible contains less mysteries than what God has imprinted within the human soul. One needs to examine the contents of the soul to find out how all living beings and all angels have lived before us. That is the only way all the existential questions would be given a satisfactory and truthful answer. Is it possible for the humans to get in touch with the angelic hierarchies? It is possible indeed, since I do it everyday. You may say it's impossible, but if you try it yourself, you will discover that it is all quite achievable and possible. Quite many angels are knocking on the door of our hearts at present, but people prefer not to let them in and say: “Leave me alone!”. Some people refuse to accept the angels’ bliss under the pretense of “cultivating their fields”, others are trying their “five pairs of oxen” and the third group are the ones who are going to “marry” to society’s norms. King Solomon, for example, had offered shelter and convenient life to around 900 hundred women in his palace, but this fact, despite the sheer numbers, cannot represent a true marriage in the name of the Holy Spirit. The modern day man leaves his wife and then marries a divorced woman and the same is what women tend to do as well. And after all this, such people are categorized as civilized and cultured?!? What is the culture in the lives of the divorced men and women? - to divorce yourself from the spouse with whom God has united you and to connect oneself with a complete stranger speaks of no true culture. When people encounter difficulties, they say life is a struggle, so they need to fight on in order to survive. It makes sense for the lamb to resist the wolf, but what is the point of two sisters or two brothers fighting each other in the home of their Father? The fighting among people who are serving different deities may make sense, but should they fight when they serve the one and only God? The master of the house, about whom the Christ speaks, invited many people to a dinner, but they all rejected the invitation. This means that these people are not yet ready for the arrival of the new culture. They deal with transient things that divert their attention from the real purpose of Life. To illustrate, the larva is allowed to deal with its body for forty days only. It then gives up such activities and assumes the shape and form of a cocoon. Next, it gives up the cocoon’s way of life and ultimately turns into a butterfly. The body to which people pay such great deal of superficial attention is not the most essential or the most sublime thing in life and the body should be transformed and perfected instead. Saint Paul said: “It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:44, NKJV)". The natural body is what does not withstand the diseases and it is called a physical body and the Spanish flu clearly showed how strong the physical body can be. When the Spanish flue enters the body, the body either makes it through or not when it is medically treated, but in such cases it is best to be consciously aware and to succumb to the microbes, only as far as they are permitted to eat only what’s unnecessary inside the body and to afterwards stop their actions with the power of one’s thought and will. There is, however, something far more dangerous than the disease-causing microbes and it is the human malice. Christ is inviting all people today to a stately dinner. This is the New Life you are called upon to embrace. Try it and see what good it brings to the human soul. Whoever accepts the invitation and acts righteously, would have their eyes open and shall see the Truth. Then, one would see the angels descending and ascending, would be able to communicate with them and shall begin to obtain the Word of the Living Water. In that case, whatever a person may learn, shall be passed onto their younger brothers and sisters. This is what true knowledge stands for. Whoever acquires such knowledge, would be helpful and useful to both oneself and one’s brethren. Such a person shall retain their knowledge always and forever under all conditions of life and such knowledge would become their true flesh and blood. What knowledge may a donkey or a horse possibly have, if they have their backs loaded with the sacred books of the entire mankind? Would such a donkey or a horse have any real knowledge? The donkey may bray back and forth, but still it wouldn’t know anything about the valuable books it carries on its back. Therefore, people should seek the knowledge that can be taken along into the spiritual world by their soul when one leaves the earth and not the artificial knowledge, which may break one’s back. The third category of people who refused to attend Christ’s dinner are those who prefer to get “married”. They are similar to the patriots who love their homeland, but seek to take an advantage at any given moment in order to progress their own agenda. On the contrary, real patriots are those who sacrifice everything for the sake of their country. Such people should be role models and worthy examples to their countrymen. Whoever sacrifices for their brethren, country and for a noble idea, shall not pass away into oblivion. In the souls of such patriots, all people and nations are resurrected and reborn and such heroes act as the souls of nations. One day all nations would be resurrected and along with them and the white race will rise up as well. Then Christ shall come. Therefore, the Christ’s descent upon Earth would be signified by all nations gaining their freedom. Every nation which is trying to dominate other nations by taking away their freedom, shall be deprived of God's blessing. Do not assume that you are something, which is separate from the Whole. If you deny Christ’s invitation and say that you are going to work on your “land”, try your “oxen” or get “married”, then that would not excuse you. Such beliefs would not relieve you of the obligation to serve the Whole. Each person's life should contribute to the Life of the Whole and so together build a better new world. I wish that all Bulgarians were from the “blind”, who were invited to Christ’s dinner. What virtue is represented by the so-called „blind“ person? – it is the virtue of having one’s eyes closed for all evil, but open for all good and noble instead. Bulgarians typically love their corn fields, but every person has as much land as necessary, neither more nor less and taking more than what has been already bestowed upon us by the Lord, shall be easily lost. Everyone has the right to cultivate the land, but not to occupy it; that is what God requires from us and that is what Love requires from us as well. What is Love? Some use the word “affection” instead of the word Love and vice versa, but those two words differ in their meanings. Love is a creative force that gives life, while affection builds on what Love gives away freely and happily. In general, true Love gives, while affection always takes. Once, a disciple went to a Hindu teacher and asked him what Love is. The master kept silent and answered nothing. The student visited the master for five days in a row, continuously asking him the very same question, but the guru was still remaining completely silent. On the sixth day, the disciple insisted on the teacher revealing some wisdom on what Love really is, but instead of giving an answer, the teacher grabbed the disciple by the hand and the student was led away into the Ganges River. The master then sank the disciple into the water and held the poor soul under water for five minutes. The student kicked about and resisted in order to escape the teacher's strong hold, but could not manage to escape. Finally, the teacher drew the disciple out of the water and asked: "What did you feel when you were in the water?" - “Great inner tension and desperate need for air.” The master then replied: "When you feel such an inner need for Love, then you will understand what it is. The same way you breath when you open your mouth is equivalent to the way you will truly experience Love, once you open your soul to it.” The real, living Christian culture, just like the above-mentioned Hindu teacher, has now constrained the European nations and keeps them under water. “Five minutes on”, since these nations have been trying to set themselves free, while Christ is asking them at the same time: "What do you feel and how do you feel?" - "We need freedom" is what they answer. All nations shall be free when they return to God and when they begin to love each other. Love makes you free. Refrain from selfishness, from the thought of fretting for your own personal survival. Do the will of God who lives inside of you. Christ says: “I do not receive honor from men” (John 5:41, NKJV). Instead, Christ seeks the glory of God. Man is part of the Divine Oneness. If the whole Divine Oneness is in a healthy state, then all its parts shall be safe and sound as well. One may ask: “And what will happen with Bulgaria?” - it all depends on your behavior, whether is virtuous or not. When all Bulgarians live in harmony with the Whole, then their lives will be peaceful. Ever since the creation of the world, God has set the Bulgarian territorial boundaries and established the correct form of government that needs to be applied. One day that plan shall be fulfilled one way or the other. Everything has been envisaged and foreseen not only for Bulgaria, but for all other nations and for all individual people as well. Now when you return to your homes after this lecture, each of you should enter their own personal private spiritual abode, open the pages of the book of their soul and make note of what is written in there about you and what your life’s purpose is. What’s bad is already left behind. Now the blessed days of resurrection and rejuvenation are already knocking the door. You would all be young and at the age of “thirty-three”. You shall live on Earth as long as you wish and would leave it when you finish the job you have come here for. You would be able to gather your relatives and friends before you start off your return journey into the spiritual world and tell them you are going back to the Source. You would be able to say goodbye to them and let them know you are departing for your true homeland. As you are leaving, they shall not cry because they would know and understand where exactly you will be going. In order for you to be able to come to the Earth freely and leave it freely, you have to give up hatred, jealousy, envy and all other useless dispositions. The fact that somebody may have hurt you, should not disturb you. What’s truly yours, remains always yours and nobody could possibly take it away from you, but if still something truly yours is somehow taken away from you, then it will be soon or late inevitably returned to you. I wish to all of you to become personally acquainted with the Christ. How Christ will descend upon Earth and where you may meet Him is not important. – think of it as you may please. Expect His arrival the way your understanding permits you to do so. If you are a Christian orthodox, you may expect Him to descend from Heaven, accompanied by angels, who shall make known to the whole world that the Christ is returning. If you are a Theosophy follower, you would probably wait for Christ to be born somewhere and then grow and mature, as He walks among the different nations to preach to them. If you are an occultist, you might believe that Christ would appear at different times and in places among all people. Christ’s arrival shall be known by the great perturbations that will occur all over the world. Christ is now knocking on every door and is inviting people to unite forces with Him. Whose door is Christ knocking on? He is knocking on the door of the ones who have the will and yearning to accept His invitation. Rejoice yourself, all of you who are called upon! Do not doubt the Truth. Wherever it may be coming from, it is always the same and does not vary. In order to perceive it, you need to get rid of your materialistic approach and perceptions. The material world relates to the form of things, while the Spiritual and Divine worlds respectively relate to the content and the meaning of those forms. Therefore, do not just ponder over the physical forms, but move on to their content and meaning. What did the devil say to Christ whilst taking Him onto the mountain? - "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me” (Mathew 4:9, NKJV). Jesus answered: "Away with you, Satan! For it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only you shall serve” (Matthew 4:10, NKJV). Christ does not make deals with the devil, as He knows that all the devil’s contracts and promises would not last. Humans have come to the Earth not to become kings and queens, but to serve God with love. Every person should be pleased with their state of affairs and not seek wealth and glory that will inevitably fail them. If someone meets you and asks you, if are you are a Christian orthodox, evangelist or a catholic, then such questions should not concern you. In such cases, everyone should whisper to themselves: "I know one God, who loves all, heals all and gives life, food and water to all." God is everywhere - everywhere we do hear His voice. Some hear His voice and trust Him, while others hear Him and doubt Him. This is the difference between believers and agnostics. You may say that some people are claiming to be the real Christ. If such people abide by the laws of Love, Wisdom, Righteousness, Virtue and Truth, then they are the living Christ. Therefore, all humans could be just like the Christ Himself. Do you think this is impossible? Christ said to himself: "I and my Father are one (John, 10:30)." Whoever follows the God’s law, is one with God. In the very same way, it is possible for the Spirit of Christ to live in all people, since the Christ shall reside inside all humans and all people shall in their turn live within Christ. You may say there are hidden things that are kept as a secret with regards to the human existence. There are certain secrets in life, but that does not mean they are impure. Both life in Heaven and life below Heaven are full of secrets and Nature is also full of secrets. The human beings themselves and their bodies represent a great secret. Those who love God and their brethren, who learn and work, are gradually uncovering the secrets of Nature and the secrets of their bodies. In this context, one should know that the human body is a divine, holy creation. Treat it with reverence and devotion. The forces necessary for the development of any human being are hidden within the inner self and the conditions for their manifestation are to be found in the outer world. In water and moisture lives the Divine life, in heat – the divine Love and in light – the divine Truth. Use these conditions to grow and progress. You may say: "We want to be happy and full of joy" and that is indeed possible. How? - By opening your hearts to the light and warmth of God's Love. Once upon a time, an Indian fakir spent thirty years of his life in a state of motionlessness, being willing to discover the meaning of Life. For days he sat motionless like a tree and birds even made their nests on his head. One day an impoverished widow came close by and affixed a cradle on the nearby tree, where she left her child. The mother went to work thinking that she could rest assured for the safety of her child, since the child was under the watchful eye of the nearby-sitting fakir. After a while, a cobra approached the cradle and was about to attack the child. The fakir asked himself the question, whether to help the child or to leave it in God’s hands. He thought: "God created both the child and the cobra, He can foresee everything and I do not know what to do in order to fulfill God’s will." While he was reasoning, he did not move and instead let God alone solve the matter. The cobra bit the child and it died. The fakir then said: "Such was the Will of God". Ultimately, it turned out that he had spent in vain thirty years of his life in meditation, since he had not grasped the real meaning of Life. As he departed from Earth, God summoned him to inquire, as to why the fakir had not saved the widow's child. "I did not know what Your will is - to save the child by killing the cobra or to leave the cobra alive and to leave the child in Your hands”, said the fakir. God replied: "My will was to keep the child alive, so you should have made a move to kill the cobra. Why were you meditating so many years, if you could not resolve this dilemma successfully? For punishment, I will send you back to Earth to spend another one thousand years in tribulations in order to learn what My will is and how to fulfill it”. Many people nowadays are sitting still like this Indian fakir, motionless and meditating on the purpose and meaning of Life, but have not drawn the relevant conclusions. Their friends who are coming nearby being pursued by cobras and are asking for help, but the modern day fakirs tend not to make a move and do not want to raise their hands to kill the snakes. They say: "God has created the humans and the cobras and if He wishes, he would save my friends on His Own". The cobra represents the deceitful human life as the result of a distorted mind and a distorted heart. The cobra suffocates both the human mind and the human heart. One may say that the world has been created in such a way. This is not how the world was created. On the contrary, the world has been created according to rational principles and is based on order and intrinsic harmony. To see what in fact the world is, one should obtain a free ticket to tour it. Only then, would one have a clear idea on the way the world was pre-designed and created. But only those, who are willing to learn and work with Love, could deserve such a free ticket. The world needs great people, it needs heroes who are wounded not in the back whilst being in retreat, but heroes wounded in the chest whilst attacking and moving forward. The Spirit of God is descending upon this world to work and to encourage all people to work as well. The times of peaceful resignation have already ended. Today everyone needs to do their job and we see that all people are under pressure from the Divine world to do so. Thinking of sleep and rest only is sheer laziness, a result of an inner inertia. One person was very lazy and did not know how to cure himself. He visited an experienced American doctor and asked for help. The doctor took him to his lab, placed electrodes on his body and started the electric current. The sick man started shouting, stomping with his feet and waiving his hands. "There's nothing dangerous" - the doctor said calmly - "These are gymnastic exercises that will help you heal". Human life needs to re-embrace the sound foundation that God has originally set up. Apply the science of Truth and Love in your lives. If you see that your brothers and sisters are impure and unwell, do not criticize them, but help them recover; if they are hungry, offer them a meal; if they are sick, treat their disease. Why do you at all criticize the people who do not go to church? - Do not blame them for that. I find that some of you spend more time in church than they should. The term “church” symbolizes the self-centered human existence. Everyone has one such church within themselves. Exit your church of selfishness and enter the Divine Church of Love, Righteousness, Truth, Virtue and Wisdom. In other words, stop thinking about yourselves only and think of your brothers and sisters as well. Only in this way will the situation of families, societies and nations be improved. Only in this way will Bulgaria's political situation improve. All people - priests, teachers, judges, government officials, mothers and fathers - should pray for victory over the evil. "Which side should we support?" - Only the side of God and the side of Christ. I'm already at the battlefield. I have drawn my sword and I am fighting. If all men fight against evil, first within themselves and then in the outside world, the planet would easily be saved. Rest assured, great is the future of mankind. - "And what about Bulgaria?" – Don’t worry about Bulgaria. Bulgaria’s destiny is sealed, but your personal destinies remain undecided. I wish for all your work to be successfully accomplished by means of abiding by the Divine principles. I wish everyone to be healthy, cheerful, active and wherever you may meet each other, to treat each other like brothers and sisters. There is no greater feat than recognizing and treating each other like brothers and sisters - this is what is preached by the living Christ. I wish to all of you to be the “poor”, the “maimed”, the “halt” and the “blind”, so that you are called upon by the Christ Himself. Christ will send His servants to invite you to join forces with Him. God bless you and may the Lord be with you now and forever and throughout all ages! Sunday Talks; Sunday, 3 November, 1918; Sofia, Bulgaria Translated by: Pavel Iordanov
  2. God Is Spirit “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth.”[1] “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and Truth.” Christ has pronounced this thought as far back as two thousand years ago. The fact that this thought was said at a gathering reveals that those who assisted at this gathering were not so particularly people of culture. They were discussing the question of how should they worship God – so Christ gave them an answer. There are many ways in which people can serve God, but Christ indicates one of the proper ways: to serve God in Spirit and Truth. Here the word worship is taken in the meaning of serve. “God is Spirit.” The word God is vague, uncomprehended – mainly to those who examine questions from the philosophical point of view. However, the Existence, or the Essence of things, cannot be grasped through the mind, e.g. in a philosophical manner. Why? Because, according to the laws of the thought, there are things determined and finite; and there are also things undetermined and infinite. One of the undetermined notions is that of God. God is a Being Who has neither beginning nor end, and Whose limits within He moves are unknown. He is a basis, a Principle upon which we ought to build our relations. “Those who serve God must serve Him in Spirit and Truth.” What does the word Spirit mean? People say about someone that this one has “yielded up his (or her) Spirit to Father” – that is, this person has died. So the Spirit is that intelligent force within humans which brings life. If we would like to define what the Truth is, we refer to the Gospel in which it is said, “The Head of Your Word is the Truth.”[2] So the word through which we express ourselves represents the body of the Truth. Everyone knows what the head is for the body. The most valuable, the most precious part of human beings is invested in their brain, in their head. Therefore, namely, humans are being determined by the quality of their own brain. “To serve God in Spirit and Truth.” What is God, in His Essence? Many consider God as a great, abstract Principle about Which they cannot have any notion at all. Very little is demanded from people in order that they get to know God. It is enough for them just to make an attempt, make an effort to serve Him in Spirit and Truth so that they may have contact with Him, so that they may find the common points of contact between God and their own Soul. How would you know that you have already established this contact? By the consequences, namely: if you have been dead, you shall be resurrected to life; if you have been sick, you shall be healed; if you have been ignorant, you shall be enlightened; if you have lost the meaning of life, then Love shall visit you, impart Light into your mind, and give meaning and purpose to your life. The moment you lose your bond with God, you will lose everything. Everyone has experienced that, thanks to which the question of serving is not abstract but vital. Those who have managed to find a solution to this question have made their way to the inner sense of their individual life and have built their own philosophy of life. Many philosophers have written on the topic of serving; whoever is interested in that may read what the different philosophers have said. There are works written in various languages on that topic. Outside literature, the question of serving has its inner side of experience. Which one of the two sides of the question is the true, the real one? According to Me, the reality of matters is dual: external, or objective, that has form; and internal, or subjective, that is without form. As a matter of fact, real things are those that have no form. You might object that it is impossible for the real things to have no form. What would you say, then, about the feelings and sensations you experience? They are real – and in spite of that, they have no form. What form do the sensations of pleasantness and unpleasantness, the feelings of joy and sorrow have? What form would you give to the notion of Truth? Therefore, real things are not always dressed in form. In the present stage of development of humans, there are real things that do not need any forms. Scientists call these things subjective, or internal. “Those who serve Him must serve in Spirit and Truth.” It means: To serve God with that profound, inner understanding of life which people carry within themselves; to serve God with that understanding of the inner sense of life. Everyone seeks the Truth, discerns the Truth, and, when someone else is talking to them, they want to know whether this one is speaking the Truth to them or not. The Truth determines the relations between souls. Taken alone, the Truth is something specific, concrete. To be a bearer of the Truth within yourself means to have Light in your mind and Warmth in your heart, to be free in your own beliefs and convictions. The Truth imparts inner freedom and strength into humans. Once having lost the Truth, one begins to hesitate and have doubts. Whatever such people undertake, they feel fear and confusion. The Truth is a living quantity, and therefore, wherever it enters, it gives inner sense and Spirit to things. To speak about the Truth as a mere notion, this is equivalent to saying the names of people without the very people, without the living notion of them. The name Ivan is lifeless; once we link it to the very person, this name comes alive. People often talk about the Truth as about something void of life; however, when it is said that “The Truth is the Head of the Word” or that “God is Truth”, this Truth is immediately filled with Spirit and life. Therefore, those who carry the Truth within themselves are healthy, intelligent, happy, beautiful, and strong. If you wish to be beautiful, to be loved by other people, then apply the Truth in your life. Some keep complaining that their skin has turned yellow and do not know what to do in order to obtain a vital complexion. The answer is very simple: They have to apply the Truth. The Truth shall give them whatever colour they like. The Truth is the Philosopher’s stone of the alchemists – the stone that transmutes matters. Those who are bearers of the Truth within themselves are immortal; they are masters of the situation, the whole Nature knows them, and, wherever they pass through, every living creature greets them: flowers, animals, and humans. Even the rivers, the wellsprings, the rocks and the mountains salute them. Those who are not bearers of the Truth within themselves constantly encounter contradictions and hardships. Each time you meet people who are constantly attacked by everyone else, you ought to know that those people either do not carry the Truth within themselves or the society they move in keeps away from the Truth. Christ says, “We ought to worship Him, to bow down before Him.” The verb bow down refers to human will-power. When working, people have to bow down. What does the one digging the vineyard do – or another one, who is reaping the harvest in the field? They bow and bow down all day long. They raise up and put down the hoe or the reaping-hook, and keep bowing down. Those who eat or drink water also bow down. You meet someone you know in the street, man or woman – you bow down again. This shows that people bow down before God wherever they see Him: in a human, in an animal, in a plant, in the food and water they constantly need. Then the verse pronounced by Christ about the worshipping takes on a broader sense and already means, “Those who bow down before God, wherever they see Him, bow down in Spirit and Truth.” Whatever home you walk in, see whether the man and the woman in there bow down before God in Spirit and Truth. If the woman is not pleased with her husband and her children, and if she wants to get rid of them, then she does not worship God in Spirit and Truth. And if the man, too, is discontent with his relatives and constantly hurls abuses at them, then he also does not bow down in Spirit and Truth. Many people would like to know why Christianity, being such a great Teaching, does not bring the expected results. This is quite natural: very few do understand it. And even among those who understand it, most people do not apply it. They consider that, if they apply the Teaching of Christ, their interests will be affected. This is an incorrect comprehension of things. “Spirit and Truth.” These are two elements that can be compared to man and woman. The Spirit is the woman; the Truth is the man. Therefore, all men and women who serve God have to unite in Spirit and Truth. Worshipping, bowing down, as a process, represents the coming of the child into the world. Therefore, when the man, the woman and the child unite in Spirit and Truth, they shall worship God in the proper way. This is what we call veritable worship. Where the Spirit, the Truth and the serving are, there God is. The fruits of the Spirit are Love, joy, kind-heartedness, gentleness, self-control. A woman ought to give birth to such fruits, namely. Each woman is capable of giving birth – however, the important thing is what she gives birth to. As women, may you wish that from now on you give birth to the fruits of the Spirit: Love, joy, long-patience, peace, gentleness, self-control, kind-heartedness. In giving birth to these fruits, true serving of God lies. Which fruit trees do people love? The ones which give birth to sweet, delicious fruit. Is there any fruit sweeter than Love? Therefore, women, who represent the Spirit, can be loved only when Love is born. A woman is a symbol of Love. A child born by Love is loved by all. A mother rejoices that her child is in the good graces of the love of people. However, people say about the mother, “Blessed is the one who has given birth to the child of Love.” Unfailing and eternal Love is – yet its fruits are eternal, too. Give place to the Spirit within yourself so that you may give birth to Love. “Those who serve Him in Spirit and Truth.” Why is this necessary? In order for them to link themselves to the Reality of life so that they do not feel naked when they take off their flesh and go to the Other World. God is the Centre of the Universe, the Spirit is the Wellspring of Life, and the Truth is the Head of the Word, of Wisely Intelligent Life. The Spirit and the Truth have to unite in one and thus return to God, become one with Him. Christ says, “I and My Father are one.”[3] With this, He would like to say that He carries within Himself both elements – Spirit and Truth. Christ has gone through great sufferings but gave birth to the fruits of the Spirit and showed to people how they ought to live and serve God. For a human, to give birth means to take the position of a woman who gives birth to children and raises them up. To be a woman means to be a bearer of the fruits of the Spirit within yourself: Love, peace, joy, long-patience, kind-heartedness, gentleness, and self-control. Whether you are women or men, all of you are required to serve in Spirit and Truth, not only by the letter or the form. A Christian lady in America happened to listen to the speeches of a prominent public speaker who spoke against Christianity. Embittered inside her soul by his preaching, she decided to visit his home and have a talk with him there, to prove to him the power of Christ’s Teaching and turn him towards Christ. The speaker welcomed her politely, let her express herself freely, and invited her to lunch. After the lunch, he told her, “You see, I do not serve God according to your understanding, neither do I bow before Him, and nevertheless, I live in plenty in my home, I have everything I need at my disposal. You’d better visit the home of my neighbour who prays to God three times a day but he still lives in privation and poverty. Go to him, console him, and feed him: he needs your support, not me.” Religious people often wish to turn people into Christianity by external ways, by the form. Christianity does not need external worshippers, by the mere form. External serving does not bring salvation to humans. True salvation implies right though, right feelings, and right actions. Whoever do not think, feel and act in the right way come upon contradictions all the time. They are said to be believers but actually are not such. In general, it is hard to define who is a believer and who is a non-believer. Some people visit churches regularly but are not religious; others do not go to church at all but are religious. There exists a certain science by means of which you can precisely determine who is religious or spiritual and who is not: this is written on the head, the face, and the hand of people. It is enough to take a look at those parts so that you may convince yourself in the presence or absence of religious feeling in a human. Two young people walked into a café and started to discuss the question of relations between humans. One of the two claimed one thing, and the other – another thing; so, after they could not come to one joint solution to this question, they began to argue. Meanwhile, outside, along the sidewalk, a poor old man was passing by, bent under the heavy load he was carrying on his back. They saw this but continued their fight. In the meantime, a gentleman from the table next to them who did not take part in the argument walked outside immediately and lifted up the burden of the poor man. Having settled the load firmly on his own back, this gentleman returned into the café and saw that the two young people were still going on with their dispute. Even to this day, some religious persons go to church, debate on the question who are believers and who are non-believers, whereas, outside, in the streets, poor old people pass by, burdened with their chests, panting and moaning, tortured by their heavy weight, no one coming along to help them. Stop the argument, leave your seats, and walk outside to help those who are panting under the weight of their load. They are heavily burdened, suffering, and full of contradictions and hardships. Help them, whether with your good examples or with your good advice and philosophy. Christ says to His disciples, “Do not criticize people, do not attack them, and do not speak of what they hardly understand.” You might say, “The words you speak – are they right or wrong?” They are right to Me; as for you, I do not know. I have one thing in mind: What is tasty to a wolf is not tasty to a sheep; and what is tasty to a sheep is not tasty to a wolf. So the religion of a wolf is of one kind, and that of a sheep – of another kind. Which one of the two religions is more right? Both are right: each professes their own religion. Therefore, let each one profess their own religion freely: let flowers grow, let trees blossom, let fruits ripen, and let humans do God’s Will. In other words: A wellspring has to gush forth, to give away from its pure, crystalline water. A river has to be long: wherever it passes, to water all grasses and plants, even those whom people do not love. By flowing, the river waters and floods everything it meets along its way: it does not make any difference between flowers and trees, it does not divide them into pretty and ugly, useful and harmful – it waters all of them. Therefore, if you are a wellspring, then give from your abundance to all who visit you; if you are a river, then water all flowers and trees you meet along your way; if you are a flower, then grow and develop properly; if you are a tree, then blossom; if you are a fruit, then ripen; if you are human, then do God’s Will! When studying the processes in life, a human has to know the Law of transmutation. If you hear someone saying that he or she wants to grow, then you ought to give this one the necessary conditions: humidity, warmth, and light; if people want to blossom, they need warmth and light, they do not need humidity. When they grow ripe, they also need light and warmth. It is an art for humans to know what they need in each given moment, and to provide themselves with what they need. It means knowing and applying the Law of transmutation of energies. It is said the Spirit transforms matters. Since the woman represents the Spirit, she has to transform, to transmute matters. Therefore, it is not enough for a woman to say that she has a man but she also has to transform him. He is a fruit on the tree, and this fruit has to grow ripe. With that end in view, the woman has to shine upon the man so that he may ripen and attain the necessary sweetness. In general, a woman has to know the man’s nature, and, if he is a flower, she has to water him so that he may grow; if he is a tree that blossoms, she has to dig around him and cultivate him; if he is a fruit on a tree, she has to shine upon him; if he is a human doing God’s Will, she has to assist him so that he may serve in Spirit and Truth. The same is true for the man. He, too, has to know the woman’s nature and help her. And, if she is a growing flower, he has to water her; if she is a blooming tree, he has to dig around her, but the wind and the rain have to cease: all arguments and misunderstandings have to stop; if she is a fruit growing ripe, he has to shine upon her – that is, he ought to embrace her with Love. And, finally, if she is a human doing God’s Will, he has to assist her in serving God in Spirit and Truth. Then both will get along well together, living in Love and agreement. Those who do not understand the processes of life expose themselves to hardships and sufferings. Someone is still blooming, and you want fruit from him or her. Let those people shed its blossoms in peace, let them set fruit, and after that expect fruit from them. Others have just set their fruit, and you want them to have sweet fruits. Let them grow ripe freely. At first, the fruit will be bitter, sour; but later on, it will grow sweet, delicious. People nowadays suffer, torture themselves because they do not understand the languages in which they talk to each other. In whatever language people may talk, it is important that everywhere and in everything they may see the manifestations of God. It is an art for humans to know, to discern what is wise from what is unwise. Given that, whoever might be speaking to them, whatever language they might be listening to, people should grasp where God is and where He is not. Where wise intelligence is, there is no hesitation and no doubt. How should you resolve your questions? If you wish to find a solution to a question which is very important to you, pick a moment when you are peaceful and quiet within. If you are angry, indisposed, discontent, or if you have doubts about something, then do not make any decision on that question. Let it all calm down, and then direct your thought upward, towards your mind or your Soul, and wait for an answer. Fifteen of twenty minutes later, you shall receive an answer. If you are in a hurry, you will make some mistake. Many people ask something from God and hurry up to quickly fulfill their desire. Things do not work well by hurrying up. Once a gospeller was in need of 3,000 levs and, without thinking much in which way he should provide them to himself, he went to an American missionary and told him, “God sent me to you so that you give me 3,000 levs.” “I do not have money at my disposal” – the missionary replied calmly. “Since I have no money in my safe, I come to the conclusion that it is not God who sent you. If He had sent you, I would by all means have money to do you this favour with.” So when someone connects with God, there will be, by all means, an outer and inner coordination between things. Given that, people whom you address to do you a favour of some kind will accept God’s commandments and will come to help you. Someone might say that he or she serves God in Spirit and Truth. If this one actually serves in Spirit and Truth, his or her friends – men and women – will come to help. Why? Because God understands your needs, knows your wishes, and, in order to do these favours to you, will give orders to your friends in whom He lives to do His Will. Does not a father do the same? Even before his child has cried and wept for bread, the father has already brought the bread. Through him, God satisfies the needs of the whole family. Contemporary people live in strenuous, hard times, and say, “What will happen to us?” Nothing bad will happen. There have been no better times than the present ones. Why? Because today God cures people. When a certain illness is being treated, the condition of the ill person is much better than his or her condition before the treatment. Earlier, the illness has existed inside the person as a germ, waiting only for the time to manifest itself, and the person considered himself (or herself) to be healthy. It is better for humans that their eyes be opened for a specific delusion than stay with eyes shut before this delusion. Present sufferings reveal that relations between people begin to gradually improve. Christ says, “In Spirit and Truth.” This means: If people serve God in Spirit and Truth, the relations between them shall improve. If they do not serve in Spirit and Truth, even the improved matters will get mixed up. Therefore, even when the world gets into good order, we still have to serve God in Spirit and Truth. Give up your old views and acts, and apply the new ones, the ones which Love brings along. If some people insult you, do not be cross with them, do not take revenge on them. Revenge is an old method that does not contribute any good. Christ says, “Make friends out of injustice.” In other words: Forgive those who owe you or who have caused you some damage. Once a Bulgarian man stayed in jail three years long. After he went out of jail, he decided to apply what he had learned in there, reading the Gospel. He summoned his debtors and settled his accounts with them in the Christian way. What did he do? He summoned his debtors, one by one, and questioned each separately: “How much do you owe me?” “That and that much.” “Can you pay me the whole of your debt?” “I can’t.” “Half of it?” “No, I cannot.” “A quarter of it?” “Yes, I can.” “So pay as much as you can, and be free.” In the person of his debtors, he won friends instead of adversaries. Three brothers in a family entered into partnership of working together. One of them was a gospeller, and the other two were orthodox. One day a misunderstanding appeared between them, and so they decided to part. Each wanted an equal share but the eldest insisted to have a bigger share because he had worked more. The situation reached the court. The eldest brother won the case, and, in order not to be disturbed by his brothers anymore, transferred the whole property to his wife. However, one day she chased him out of the house and he was left alone on the street. The other two decided to find their eldest brother and reach an agreement with him somehow so that he gives them whatever he finds appropriate. They found him but he was in a deplorable condition. He told them, “It is too late: I have lost everything, too.” So this is how all people act nowadays – all societies and all nations. Why? Because they do not serve God in Spirit and Truth. If they go on living in the old ways, not serving God in Spirit and Truth, they shall lose everything. Today women complain of their husbands; men complain of their wives. A woman does not want to live with her husband anymore because he told her an offensive word. What did he say to her? He called her “budala”[4]. She has to be reasonable, to transmute matters. The man, too, has to act in the same way. What is there, hidden inside the word “budala” (“будала”[5])? The letter “б” means growing, “у” means blooming, „д” means knowing the laws of Love, “а” means reasonableness, “л” means Love towards people and towards God. Is it wrong for one to be a “budala”? What else could people want? It is not bad that a man calls his wife “budala”; the bad thing is if she cannot extract the juice from this word and boil it, cook from it something delicious to eat. When she tastes the sweet juice of this word, she has to tell her husband, “Thank you for the nice gift!” This is what serving God in Spirit and Truth means. It means to have mastered the art of transmuting the bitter juice into sweet. It is to be achieved through strong, reasonable will. Those who have managed to apply their own reasonable will-power in their life shall never hear the word “budala”. Whoever meets them will tell them, “You are a beautiful flower; you are a blooming tree; you are a fruit growing ripe; you are a reasonable human applying one’s will-power in order to transmute the bitter juices into sweet ones. The task of each human is to learn the Law of transmutation of energies. Women have to transmute the offensive words of their husbands into pleasant ones, whereas men have to seek harmony in the offensive words of their wives. Whatever offensive or bad word they tell you, decompose it the way a chemist decomposes the compounds; take the bitter and toxic elements out of it and leave only those elements which are necessary for your development. This is what “serving God in Spirit and Truth” means. Serving is a great science. Be alchemists in life, turning the bad and offensive words into good ones. In the words people use, something valuable is hidden, even if they are offensive externally. Do not be fixed on the external forms of human language but seek in these forms those elements which heal and elevate people. In the old times, Bulgarians used to hide their gold in ragged bags, in smelly pots, so that they do not arouse any suspicion that here or there might be some hidden treasure. Good spirits act the same way. When they give someone a certain treasure, they conceal it into some offensive, bad words, so that evil entities do not find it and do not obsess it. Knowing this, do not get embittered by the offensive word said by your fellow but begin to analyze it so that you can extract the good elements concealed in it. Do not think that those who offend others do not suffer. They feel sorry about the word they have said, they blame themselves and have a hard time. Some people offend others, thinking that, by doing this, they speak the Truth. Such people should know that the Truth is distinguished for one quality: the Truth brings freedom to the human soul. When the Truth becomes the Head of the Word, people are set free and become happy. Today I wish that the Spirit may come and become the Head of the woman, and that the Truth may become the Head of the man. Then Christ will also come onto the Earth and will make His abode with them. When will this time come? When the woman accepts the Spirit as a Head, and when the man accepts the Truth as a Head. Only thus the world will be settled into good order, and a lovely, beautiful life will begin. Each one has to accept the Spirit and the Truth within themselves and not expect to be preached about them from outside, imposing the Spirit and the Truth to them. The salvation of the world is concealed in the verse pronounced by Christ, “True worshippers must serve God in Spirit and Truth.” All who serve God in this way shall bring peace into the world. Therefore, may each and every human put into their minds the thought that they are able to bring around peace. Peace comes from inside, not from outside. Therefore I say also to Bulgarians and to all nations: Do not lose faith in yourselves, reckon on God Who lives within you and Who has arranged everything in the world. Reckon on your Spirit and on the Truth within yourself. Everything happening now in the world is not something random: it is a matter of course. Out of the spilled blood, colourful and beautiful flowers will grow, and lovely trees giving sweet, delicious fruit. In order for these times to come, all must serve God in Spirit and Truth. The salvation of the world depends on each and every human individually. Does not a grain of wheat do the same? It is tiny, but, once put into favourable conditions, in the course of 12 years it may feed the whole world. Therefore, when saying that Christ has saved the world, we have in mind that mighty Soul which has penetrated all people and manifests itself everywhere. In this way, namely, it gives an impulse to the whole humankind to keep walking forward. Many of people nowadays do not succeed in their deeds because they consider everyone from the negative point of view. Whomever they see, each time they would tell something about this one. If all people are bad, where will salvation possibly come from? Every human ought to think that God has invested into their fellows potentials to be wisely reasonable, good and strong, and also favourable conditions to manifest themselves. Each human has the potential to be wise. Wisdom is a book, written inside each and every one. It is enough for people to read this book so that they may work their way to those Truths that will set them free from limitations and make them happy. Let everyone open the book of their own life and read what is written in there. You might say that this is hard to do. Hard deeds are Divine deeds. A young man once went to a German professor, with the desire that this professor gives him some advice to choose such a branch of science that will take him very little time. The professor looked at him and told him, “When God wishes to create a pumpkin, He determines a term of six months to this pumpkin; when He wants to create an oak tree, He determines a term of a hundred years to this tree.” So, if you want to grow ripe in six months, then pumpkin you shall be; if you wish to ripen in the course of a hundred years, then an oak tree you shall be. “In Spirit and Truth.” Keep working upon this thought, extracting the juices it contains. Thus you will come to inner knowing of yourself and of your fellow. If you cannot extract the sweet juices of this thought, you will constantly doubt in yourself and resemble that Bulgarian man named Stoyan who once stopped under a tree to rest and tied up his donkey to the tree. Meanwhile, he felt sleepy, lay down in the shadow of the tree, and fell asleep. Some children came up to the tree, untied the donkey, and walked away silently. Once Stoyan woke up, he looked to see the donkey, and, not seeing him, said, “If I am Stoyan, then I have lost my donkey; if I am not Stoyan, then I have gained a halter.” He had doubts about himself and asked himself, “Am I Stoyan, or am I not?” In order not to lose his donkey, he should not have fallen asleep. Therefore, whenever God comes to you, He must find you awake, just like the young man waiting for his beloved. It is not God Who must seek people – people have to seek and wait for God. Therefore, it is said in the Scripture, “Those that seek Me shall find Me.”[6] To find God means to have made your way to the great Divine philosophy of life. And everyone will apply this philosophy the way he or she is capable of applying, the way he or she understands. Once we come to the views of people, we see the big difference existing between their thoughts and feelings in terms of quality, scope, and value. The differences in the views, the feelings and the thoughts of people create the proper and improper relations between them. For example, most people love each other because of the good, the wealth, the knowledge, the strength, etc. A master loves his servant as long as the latter is able to work for him, as long as the servant has not infringed his interests somehow. Once the servant happens to be disloyal to him in some respect, his master does not love him anymore and dismisses him. A man loves his woman as long as she is healthy and beautiful. Once she gets sick and loses her beauty, he stops loving her. The same is true about women. It is an act of heroism to love a sinful and ugly person. Strong ones are capable of loving all people and give them an impulse towards everything good and beautiful in the world. Rely on the Divine in you as well as in your fellow. However feeble or thin it is, it will take you to the safety shore. Even if all devils perch on the Divine thread, they will not break it nevertheless. The Divine shall lead all people into the Right Way. The Divine shall settle right even the devils. I believe in the power of Good, in the power of the Divine. I believe that all people will become good. “In Spirit and Truth.” Apply in your home the Divine Teaching in Spirit and Truth, so that all weeping and suffering stop. Apply the Divine Teaching among men and women, so that relations of peace and agreement be settled between them. May women say to themselves, “I am the Spirit.” May men say to themselves, “I am the Truth.” Apply these spiritual formulas in your life, and then experience what results they will bring. A talk by the Master, held on 3rd June, 1917, Sofia Translated by Kalina Stoycheva [1] John 4:24 – ed. [2] Psalm 119:160 – ed. [3] John 10:30 – ed. [4] “Budala”: a Turkish word meaning “chump”, “easy game” – ed. [5] Written in Cyrillic letters – ed. [6] Proverbs 8:17 – ed.
  3. Ани

    1917_05_27 Abide

    Abide “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” John 15:10 “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My Love.” The word “if” in the original has another meaning, not the same as in the Bulgarian language – a condition. This verb keep has a relation to the human will – in order to keep the commandments we have to abide in them, and the fulfillment arises through the participation of the will. The one, who does not fulfill the Divine commandments, cannot abide in His Love. Then, it is not enough that a person abides in the Father’s commandments but to abide in His Love, as Christ has kept the commandments of His Father and has been abiding in His Love. The execution of the Divine commandments both in broad and narrow sense produces the same result. When we arrive to the exterior side of things, the outer world, we observe that something is keeping us for it. The same could be said for the relation between the limbs of man, his soul and Spirit; if the Spirit and the soul do not keep the hands, the legs, the brain, the lungs and the stomach, nothing would remain of a person. The spirit keeps all the organs of the body in complete order; and the soul abides in the functions, which the organs execute, and makes use of the energies, which they receive and transmit – the soul does not keep the air but abides in it. Breathing, thinking, feeling signify abiding, and the actions, which provoke them, we call behavior. One of the processes, which channel in the human organism, we call free or depending on our will; the others are restricted, not depending on our will. The movement of the hands and the legs depends on our will, but the beating of the heart, the breathing, and the digestion are not dependent on us. “You will abide in my Love.” One who does not understand the main commandment of Life – the Love; considers that he can restrict it. Love cannot be restricted, it is relating to the free actions. A man can abide in Love, but cannot restrict it. In the abiding, he perceives and gives – at the same time, there is a regular exchange; in the keeping of the commandments there is a fulfillment – exhaustion of energy. For some people, the questions about the keeping and abiding seem (rather) abstract; it is depending on them, whether they are abstract or not. What one thinks – that happens. If one closes his eyes, it is natural, that he will not be able to see, nor understand the matter. It is depending on man, whether he will see or not; when he closes his spiritual sight, he will neither see, nor understand. Consequently, if you want to see and understand, open your eyes. In the understanding, as an inner process, a certain movement is concealed. For example, in order to study a particular place, and get to know it, you have to journey through it; in order to study a particular unclear question, you will have to make a little effort. How do you act when you want to turn an electric light on? You hold the key, switch it on and say: “Let it be light!” – and it becomes light around you. What if you say that you want light in your mind? Go into one library; take out the book, where it is written about the question that interests you and start to read – since you work for a while in this direction, the dim question will clarify. Man was not born learned, but with endeavour, constancy and work, he achieves what he aspires. For the one, who does not work with Love, Life is a struggle and labour, he is constantly complaining that he is suffering that you are resting on bulwarks but what they are exactly, you are not aware. The sufferings and struggles, which man goes through, show that there is a certain disharmony in his life. The Reason of Nature is drawing your attention to rectify your mistake, which has caused you the disharmony. If you cannot rectify it on your own, go to a doctor, or a specialist who knows how to rectify. You will say that you will have to pay the doctor; it should be paid, besides, the better and more experienced the doctor is, the more you will pay him. The more serious your disease is, the more experienced doctor you will seek; the inexperienced doctor takes little money but instead of benefit, he can cause you harm. Nowadays, more people look for an easy way to acquire something great or to gain entry in the Divine Kingdom. There is no easy way for entering the Divine Kingdom. One, who came on Earth to learn and work, should not avoid the difficult and arduous path in Life; these are the circumstances for his growth. To search for an easy path, means to run the danger in you [A1] – the easy path is human and the difficult – Divine. If someone takes you up to the top of the mountain and then you coast down the inclined area, you will easily reach the foot of the mountain, but this does not mean that you alone have solved the difficult question – in the same way, children coast down (a hill) with their sleds in winter. The teaching of Christ is not a teaching about descending but about ascending, besides that, with labour and effort. Observe how the villagers hoe with the mattock; see how they plough up the land with a wooden plough. How does the Bulgarian plough the land? Along with oxen. Sometimes with two oxen, and sometimes with four or six, the number of oxen he ploughs with is not significant, because the principle is the same. In plowing both principles work equally - keeping and abiding. The two oxen suggest the human mind and the human body, so does the goad – the command which goads the mind and the heart occasionally, in order to remind that they have to work and follow their direction – the furrow. Some people think that they are free but in reality they are all harnessed – someplace in twos, someplace in threes or four altogether. Once in a while, you are unharnessed to rest. When do the oxen rest? When the master requests. Once they have rested, again their master harnesses them to work. Such is the reality. You will say that this is the situation of the oxen – do you think that the souls of the oxen lack intelligence? In a certain sense, the ox stands higher than man. It is said about a person that he has the patience of an ox, which means the ox has been taken as a symbol of patience. What would you say about the grains of wheat that are placed in various conditions? Those, who are placed in favourable circumstances for growth, have grown and have fruits of a good quality; the others who were not placed in favourable circumstances could not grow, but this still does not show that the latter grains of wheat do not hide in themselves the same gifts, as the first grains, placed in good circumstances. Consequently, the relation between the former and the latter grains of wheat is the same as it is between the soul of man and the ox. At present, the ox is deprived of circumstances to grow, and manifest the virtues of his soul; there will come a day, when God will place it in circumstances to manifest its gifts – then you will see that the talented and genius people, whom we meet today, will derive from it. Nowadays, the ox ploughs, works the land, fulfilling the main command and helps the man; for the work that he does, the master feeds it and the ox is thankful that he got fed. The same is the case with the man: he also works hard, makes efforts and takes his meals – he sits before the table, eating and says: “The world is well created.” Really, the world is well created, but you have to thank your Lord, who feeds you for the work that you have done – if you stop working, your Lord stops to feed you. As soon as you become hungry, you start to cry and to pray, until your Lord grants you the needed food. In relation to his work, man resembles the horse, which, because it is accustomed to carry weight, even if it is set free, cannot make use of it. One horse worked for his master for thirty whole years and when it grew old, the master released it from work, and let him free in the forest, but every day at the same time the horse arrived close to the well from which it used to draw water for the garden and stand there – it was awaiting for the master to come and harness it to work. Christ says: “If you keep my commandments.” – Which commandments? The commandments that could make human life happy and reasonable. When speaking about these commandments, many listen and say they have read them. Since you have read them, I am asking, has your life become happy and decent. – “We didn’t become happier.” – If you are not happier, this shows that you have read them, but didn’t grasp their meaning. Christ says further on: “You will abide in my Love.” What greater welfare do you expect than the fulfillment and applying of the commandments of God? There is no greater fortune for a home, where the man abides in the commandments of God and His Love, and the woman – in the commandments of her man. Why are families destroyed? For neither the man, nor the woman keep their promises. The man promises that he will keep and abide in the commandments of God but when he gets married, he forgets all – he begins to drink and feast with friends, and squanders everything: the woman says: “I can never live with such a man.” Therefore, a family where the woman does not abide in the commandments of her husband is destined to death. If the man does not abide in the commandments of God and does not fulfill His will, the woman is also free not to fulfill the commandments of her man, however if the man fulfills God’s will and abides in His commandments and the woman does not abide in the Love of her man, the responsibility falls on her. This is what Christ preached to His disciples. “You will abide in my Love.” The one, who abides in the Divine Love, fulfills His commandment; the one who does not abide in Love, cannot fulfill His commandments – he makes mistakes like children. In (the region of Varna) in the village of Nikolaevka, the priest’s wife had plastered up the house well, she had washed and cleaned – this was towards the day of St. Sebastian. She was in a hurry to quickly finish her work, so she could go to the church early the next morning. Her child, a ten year old boy had seen how people thresh in summer and the moment he was left alone at home, decided to thresh, to play; he took a corn in a container and let in all the turkeys. The child threw corn to the turkeys, chased and ran after them – he was well entertained. When the neighbours passed near the preacher’s house, they heard a loud noise coming from within. They met the wife of the priest in the church and said to her: “Something is going on in your house, but we don’t know what – you could hear clamour and noise from far away.” After the service had finished, the preacher’s wife went home straight away and such was her astonishment, when she entered the room and saw all the turkeys – clucking, fluttering, pouncing upon the walls, and the fine boy chasing them, getting them to thresh. When he saw his mother, the delinquent ran straight away – he left her alone to deal with the self-invited guests. Many people proceed like children: their mothers plaster up the rooms, clean up, and they get the turkeys in to amuse themselves. Thus, they want to show, that they are free, but this is a childish freedom, a childish apprehension. Somebody has a favourable disposition of the spirit, he is inspired with something Divine, but suddenly his child comes into the room and brings after it the turkeys and the ducks - to arrange an amusement. The father sees that the room is dirty and in one moment, the good disposition leaves him. In order not to lose their favourable disposition, the mother and the father should lock their room with nine keys, so the children won’t come in and make it dirty. The fault stands in the mother and the father, and not in the child; finding the rooms open, it goes inside, takes the corn and drives the ducks and turkeys in to play with them. “If you keep my commandments.” Since the verb “keep” is related to the will, never say that you are not able to do something or a particular problem is obscure to you and you cannot understand it, that the circumstances are poor or that the time has not arrived yet for you to manifest, and so on. Leave this aside; know that nobody can be an obstacle to you - everyone stumbles alone. Who was the obstacle for the first humans to stumble? God placed them in favourable circumstances for development, but they transgressed and left Heaven - the cause stands in themselves, in their hidden aspirations. A person stumbles, when he does not understanding his desires, he does not know whether they are efficient or not. The wife of an American millionaire had many desires and she could not realize when and how to fulfill all of them. When she went to Paris, she used to go in all the big shops and bought everything her eyes saw. One day, she bought articles for an extraordinary amount and having no possibility to pay in full, she wrote down the bill to the name of her husband, who was famous amongst the greatest merchants in Paris. When he received the draft for the payment of enormous amounts, he paid it off immediately, but decided to divorce his wife. In order to be free from his duties to her, he built a house-palace for the value of fifteen million dollars, gave her thirty million at hand, to be at her disposal, as she thinks best - he had preferred to give her great sums, to secure her well, but to save himself from ruin. God acts upon those who squander the Divine goods, the way the millionaire acted upon his wife: He gives those forty-five million at their disposal and He gets a divorce. You will reply that the one who has forty-five million at disposal is a happy person. Woe betide the one who got divorced from God - he is ready to commit all manner of crimes. When one does not keep the commandments of God, one can commit all the crimes; if you want to be free from the evil and the crimes outside and inside of you, keep the commandments of God, and abide in Love. When you get up from sleep in the morning, if you are a woman, ask yourself the following questions: “Do I keep the commandments of my man, and does my man keep the commandments of God? Do I abide in the Love of my man, and does my man abide in the Love of God?” If you answer these questions positively you will spend the whole day in Peace and Joy, because God has blessed you; if you answer negatively, you will be ungrateful, indisposed, unhappy. Why are people unhappy? Because they do not fulfill the commandments of God nor do they abide in His Love, and yet they want to realize their aspirations. Gluttony makes people unhappy. One hunter, who often used to go hunting in the Old Mountain, spoke about the following experience: as he passed by a river in the mountain, he saw on the coast one bear with five little bears. They played around the coast, and the mother repeatedly thrust in the water and pulled out little crabs which she gave to her cubs, one of them was getting ahead of the others and was eating up the crabs - the turn for the others to have a even a bite never happened. When the bear noticed this, she hit the glutton bear, which tumbled down on the ground. Finally, she headed to her lair and she turned to the bear that was imposed, but realized that it was dead. She took it in her lap; she swayed it a little, but couldn’t bring it to life. Saddened by the loss, she went into the forest. Likewise a man carries in himself one greedy bear, which he must educate and penalize. One has the right to penalize it, but in a way that he doesn’t mortify it - in case he mortifies it prematurely, he will suffer. That’s why Christ says: “One, who wants to be fortunate, should posses a steeled will, a bright mind and pure heart, he should keep My commandments thus, as I keep the commandments of my Father and abide in Me as well as I abide in the Love of God.” Only thus, a person can become great, because God, who is living in him, is great. Hence, open your hearts and souls for God, so that He can enter in you with His commandments and His Love to make you great and powerful. Thereafter a person says that everything he aspires to achieve is possible. If you keep the commandments of God and abide in His Love, you will comprehend the verse line that Christ had said: “With man this is impossible but with God all things are possible.” Where is the God? He is in everyone who fulfills His Will. Some want to know how to discern the one who is keeping the commandments of God? Very simple: if your thoughts are clear and positive, and you have noble and pure feelings, you keep the commandments of God and abide in His Love. I said that you should verify everything - for each matter apply the words: explore and see (experience). If you have a difficult problem to solve, do not hasten to decide immediately, but think over it for a few hours, until Light penetrates your mind; if you cannot decide until the evening, this shows that you have a negative thought, which is an obstacle. Free your mind from the negative thoughts and the heart from negative feelings and begin to think over the matter of interest to you. You will say that there is no spare time to devote to this problem hours and days. You will do your work as usual, but at the same time you will think; if you cannot decide in a day, you will solve it in a week - it is important that it will be solved rightly. If you want to know whether your heart abides in Love, see if you have inner Peace and tranquility. If you have peace of mind, on every occasion, even if you hesitate on the outside, you are going to be calm inside. Whether you believe in this, or not, is not significant - make an attempt and you will be assured of my words. Many sufferings of the present people are owing to exterior influences and suggestions. This should not affect you. Man has will-power to bear all difficulties and sufferings. If your will is strong, you can work wonders - one who has a strong and reasonable will can get over the hardest sufferings. In this respect, the martyrs of Christ set an example: they were burned, torn into pieces, tortured, but with the power of their will, withstood everything without feeling pain - they kept the commandments of God and abided in Love. If the starfish can regrow its cut or lacerated leg, why shouldn’t a man be able to do the same? Man should increase his will, so that he can control his thoughts and desires with it. Love arrives to help the man, in order to feed his thoughts, feelings and desires - only thus is it possible to work. How do you act when you take a worker in your house? In order to work well, first, you give him food; once fed well, he is ready to work. This means that Love is necessary like food for man - without Love, his life is not going well. You will object, to me, that life is heavy, that woman and children should be supported. It’s a wonder, the woman was in man - God brought her out, from the rib of Adam; so whether a person is married, or not, this does not make life harder, or easier. There is no such person in the world, who does not carry the man or the woman in him - the man and the woman always go together. Whether the woman or the man is inside or outside the man, it is not significant - every man carries the woman in him and every woman carries the man in her. They cannot exist without each other: the man is an incentive for the woman and the woman - for the man. If you take away the woman from the world, every culture will disappear; if you take away the man, again there will be no culture. Under the words man and woman in a broad sense I imply the mind and the heart. A mind without a heart cannot exist and heart without a mind cannot be - they always go together and complement one another. And so, when people struggle and suffer, the cause stands not in the man, nor in the woman, but in the fact that man does not keep the commandments of God and does not abide in the Love of God. In the word man I imply also the Divine mind, and in woman - the Divine heart. The mind represents the human will, which is manifesting in his body, and the heart - the movement; the mind reflects the processes of the will, and the heart - the reflexes. If the man wants to live well together with his wife, let her be free, to manifest as a self-dependent person, and not to fulfill somebody else’s will and another’s instructions. Let two men make the following trial: the first should write down commands and rules, by which his wife will be directed, and the other should let her free to live by her deep, inner understanding. When a person is guided not by the written laws, but from his heart of Reason, the results are always good. If the man is discontented with his wife, because she is not following his personal demands, he is on the wrong way - this is not the teaching of Christ. Christ has preached Love and Freedom. The place, where Love is absent, there is only violence and detestation. “If you keep my commandments” - what does man keep things with? With hands. The violinist keeps the violin and the bow with his hands and from the accurate keeping of the violin and his manifestation stands on the movement of the bow – being ordinary, talented or a genius violinist. Somebody says that he feels like singing; very naturally, when Love visits man, he feels like singing, playing, in order to manifest. Where Love is absent, there is no song, no music. When it has been said to people that they should sing, this means to open their hearts for the Love - singing is a door, through which Love enters in man. When it has been said to people to pray, we understand the same - to open their minds and hearts for Love. Eating, singing and praying represent identical process - opening of the mind and heart for Love, which is the one to elevate man and make him happy from all that is given to him. They are tightly related with each other. When singing, a person should gratify himself first and then the surroundings; what people think of him, whether they are content or not, this is a secondary matter - first he has to be glad of himself. This is the meaning of the words; “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.” Further on, Christ says: “Whatever you ask for in My name, it will be given to you.” Know God by means of His commandments in order to resolve the matter which is difficult for you. Somebody cannot manage the neighbors, he cannot stand them; while he is without the Love of God, he will not be able to stand anyone. What is worthwhile for a person is to fulfill the law of God and to say: “I can achieve anything with God”, which means: “With Love, I can bare everything.” Christ says to each person: Love the God in you, in order to love your relative”, but the devil speaks to him: Love is a great thing, but you are not yet ready for it, you cannot love and forgive - in order to love you need to be learned, to have knowledge of the laws of the entire Being.” Christ opposes the devil and says: “Whether you are learned or uneducated, poor or rich, great or small, you can love and you have to manifest the Love which is implanted in your heart.” Remember: along with Love, a person can achieve everything - the ugly can become beautiful, the poor - rich, the uneducated - learned. Without Love, man loses everything - wealth, beauty, and Knowledge. Do not trust the fictitious teachings, which tell you, that you cannot put Love in practice. If you keep the commandments of God and abide in Love, do not trust the one, who tells you, that you do not follow the right path; do not trust, when someone tells you that the fruit which you cultivated is bitter or sour. In the past, before it has ripened, the fruit had been sour and bitter but today, it is sweet. Do not live with your past - the present, which you spend nowadays, is important. On one occasion Nasredin Hodja, riding on the back of his old ox, headed to the field. He met an acquaintance who asked: “Hodja, why are you riding this old ox?” The Hodja didn’t reply that he acted so because he had no horse but said: “Do not look at the form of my ox today, you should have seen it a few years ago, when it was jumping and playing lively like a young and strong foal.” According to me, it is not important what the ox had been in the past, it is important what it is today - the past had lived its time. The present life is a reflection of the past; therefore we are discontented with it. The new that we acquire and put in practice at present, will determine our life in the future. He who wants to know what his previous life had been, let him look at the present; there he will discover his past. When living in a new way, he is building up his bright future. Thus, the one who hesitates on the path has admitted to himself one leg of the devil. Man has knowledge of Truth, but he alone, admits the doubt to himself. Nobody can lie to anyone, especially himself. If you keep the commandments of God and abide in His Love, you are on the right path and whatever you aspire to, you can attain. Christ is working with the word can, and the devil with the word cannot. If you say that you can live well, Christ is with you; if you say that you cannot live well, Christ is far from you. - “I am a sinful man” - if somebody says this, this suggests that his will is weak. The transgression, the mistakes are concealed in the weak-will of humans; give the right direction to your will and you will ascend. If you have transgressed, you will get cleansed - there is plenty of water in Nature, therefore man can always wash and cleanse himself. Men and women - all have to cleanse themselves, and become conscious of their purpose, and fulfill it. What is the mission of the woman? First, she should raise herself, and then - the man. The good-natured and beautiful woman is an ideal for man - she implants in him an impulse to what is sublime, she persuades him to think and at the same time she implants Peace and tranquility in his soul. The mission of the man is to raise himself first and then - the woman. He has to manifest the power of his mind, in order to persuade her to work. Whatever she aspires, the man has to fulfill it; if today he is giving one promise and tomorrow he does not fulfill it, he is likened to a granny, who stands on every step and cannot go forward. If the man tells a young lady that he loves her, he has to verify the sincerity of his words. It is time already to put in practice the teaching of Christ in all its breadth and depth. If you say that you cannot employ it, you are a granny; if you say that you can employ it, you are a young person, a brave man, who can achieve everything. For the women, I wish them to be abundant in the Love of God, to carry the idea for employing Love and everywhere they go, to carry a scent - to disperse the fragrance of Love. I wish the men to implant trust in all women - to rely on their word and to their promises. “If you keep my commandments” - this is required from the man; “You will abide in my love” - this is required of the woman. And I say: the woman should abide in Love, and the man should keep the commands of the woman. 27 May 1917, Sofia _______________________________________________ [A1]Unclear. [means to run from the danger in you]
  4. The Good Stored up in Man “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him” Christ is speaking about the two different ways for bringing out qualities: “The good man brings of his store good things out, and the evil man brings evil things out”. The first one and the other bring something out of their storehouse, but they get different results. That means, that one and the same action or one and the same reason can produce two different results – two persons sow a field with the same thing, though the result of each one’s seed, differs from the seed of the other. How are the words good and evil store understood? In order to acquire a good storehouse, man should work a thousand years on himself – this is the only way he can obtain wealth and bear the Goodness out of the good stored up in him. A person achieves wealth in two ways and in two different directions: he can grow rich in a short time or gain assets in his life throughout many years; at the same time he could grow rich soon or throughout many years but gain discredit about it, too. Wealth is necessary to people but what kind of wealth? People have turned out and pay attention rather to the material wealth, but it is a temporary acquisition and not everlasting. For a period of time, richness rejoices man and satisfies him, but next, he is searching for something else, beyond the material wealth. When studying the deep meaning of Christianity, man arrives at the understanding that the true development is concealed in the inner, spiritual wealth of the soul. The spiritual science, called by some “religion”, requires spiritual growth of man. In this case, the word religion is not quite apt, but there is no other word in the Bulgarian language to substitute for it. Under religious person, they understand a foolish, narrow-minded, fanatic who does not think rightly. Some consider that a person becomes religious, when he starts to grow old. I do not speak about the religion of the old people, but about the Divine religion, that embraces the Divine science. Some replace the word religion with theosophy, which is founded on reincarnation; others replace religion with spiritualism, which is based on the relationship between spirits, although, both words: theosophy and spiritualism are restricted; they cannot embrace the idea of Divine science. Nowadays, even the word God has lost meaning, therefore people replace it with the word Nature; in the near future, the word Nature will be replaced by another, which will encompass the understanding of man. It is of no significance that you are going to replace one word with another, it is significant that each word expresses accurately and definitely its meaning. “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him” – how to attain the good store? With knowledge, endurance, and constancy. How does a good gardener act, when he has a garden with many fruit trees along with walnut-trees too? When the walnuts begin to ripen, he does not hurry to shake them down straight away and take its green cover off but he leaves it on the tree to crack on its own. Once he sees this happen, he already knows the walnut has ripened; if he takes off the green shell prematurely, then he will spoil the core of the walnut. When the walnut becomes ripe, he cracks it and removes the green cover, and after this - the hard cover and finally he arrives to the core within, which is also wrapped in a thin membrane, with a bitter taste. The way a walnut encloses the good stored up in it in a few covers, in such a way, man hides his genuine wealth wrapped in a few covers. The exterior cover reflects the material wealth, which you need to leave freely to ripen and not to remove it prematurely – this is the safe protection of the real treasure in man. From the exterior cover, the nourishing juices flow to the interior cover and then to the core. The membrane that envelops the core, contains enough iodine; eat walnuts and do not be afraid, they replace the usage of iodine. “The good stored up in man.” Those who do not understand the meaning of the spiritual life say that they do not need richness but to be closer to God. For a man to be close to God means that he needs to be healthy in body, mind and heart, i.e. the energies in him have to be organized; if he is not healthy, or his energies are not organized, he is far from God. The connection with God is not an exterior process but an inner process. The same applies to ordinary people: from the outside, you are close to someone but inwardly you stand up far away for him. What should a man do, in order to organize himself? He should keep his exterior cover until it becomes ripe – with it missing, he will break the wholeness of his content. A man should be patient, not to hurry to attain great results in a short time – every result will arrive in its time. Many hasten forward, they want to realize their desires and spoil themselves. What is the understanding of the words inner content, what is the inner content of man? That is his soul, i.e. the Divine principle in him, which draws from Life the necessary powers, and energies in order to manifest his virtues and abilities. For a man to have Life in himself means to live consciously, one who does not know how to live is not a conscious person. When speaking about the Conscious Life, many say, “It is not important if I live consciously or not, it is important that I keep my body safe.” It is correct that man strives for saving his body, for the exterior, solid, protective cover, but one day the latter will come off alone. Likewise the green cover of the walnut cracks and falls off, so will the body of man fall off, and he will remain with his second coat – when is this going to happen? When man becomes ripe/mature. However, until he ripens, nobody has the right to take away his exterior cover. It is the same with the walnut: in order not to spoil the core, leave its green wrap to crack alone and fall off. Children often shake the walnut-tree before it has ripened and stain their hands with the green covering; they do this because they like the fresh kernels of the walnut. When bored with life, people say: “Why do we need this body, if only we could be free from it” – they do not understand the significance of their physical body. While in his body, man ripens and organizes his strength; by losing his body, he falls off the Tree of Life prematurely and goes to the other world unorganized, unripe. Christ says, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him”. The heart is located in the physical body of man; once he denies his body, he also denies the life of the heart. That is the reason that the physical body is a cover, i.e. mediator through which, sap passes from the outside to the inside, meaning from the outer, physical world, to the Spiritual world (World of Spirit). By the means of nourishment, for example, man perceives the outward necessary materials to build up not only his body, but also his soul. In Divine terms, man is not yet shaped, has not transformed into a genuine human, i.e. he has not yet fully ripened. From the perspective of the Angels, he is compared to a tree, therefore it is written in the Holy Scriptures: “The Righteous will be like trees planted nearby clear effluents”. The tree is taken as a symbol of knowledge, in that case, there is some knowledge hidden in the tree, the knowledge of Life. In the Garden of Eden, there were many trees, amongst all of them, two were distinguished: The first one was the Tree of Life and the other – the tree for knowing the Good and the evil. When God created the first humans, He said to them, “You can eat the fruit from all trees but not from the tree for knowing the Good and the evil. On the day you eat from it, you will die.” With this, God wanted to give a warning to the first humans, that unless they organize their physical body, senses and systems correctly, they are not able to correctly perceive the saps and the energies, which flow from the outside world, they cannot study the second, harder cover – the bones of their own body. The first cover implies the muscles of man, and the second – the bones; the first cover infers the science for Life, for the outside world, and the second – the science for knowing the Good and the evil. When man acquires this Knowledge, he arrives to the third cover – the thin membrane that wraps the kernel of the walnut. When he tastes the core, he has already arrived to the inner sense of Life. When you examine the human head, you can observe that it is made up of three covers: exterior – the skin, the middle – the bone, and the interior – a thin membrane, that envelopes the brain. If the thin membrane gets damaged or inflamed, man gets upset. In order not to get upset, he should work over himself – to create a healthy body for himself, to cope with the conditions, and make use of them. If not healthy in body and in mind, only in one moment, man can lose his health, and get upset. For example, one has put faith in money, losing the money he can get a stroke in the brain, a heart attack and die – some people have lost the meaning of their Life and got discouraged from the smallest failures. The substance, which compounds the material world, manifests in four different qualities. The first conditions are exterior: hard, liquid, vaporous, luminous or radiant, heating and the others are interior in content: inorganic and organic matter. One of the qualities of matter is that it can pass through one condition to another. It achieves this through changes in its vibrations, its rising and falling. When matter is refining, its vibrations rise up; as soon as it loses its cleanliness, its vibrations decline. When matter is cleansing, man is also being cleansed – this cleansing is happening mainly through the heart. By the word heart we understand the Carnal soul of man or his Astral body, which comes after the physical body. When dying man passes out to the next world with his Astral body, like the walnut is planted in earth with its hard cover, not with the green one. The hard shell of the walnut bursts in the earth, after that the membrane breaks and only the nut remains, and from its core, there emerges a new walnut. The new walnut, concealed in the core of the walnut, represents the real soul of man that should be studied. The philosophy of human life is comprised in the walnut. Study and observe the development and the vegetation of the walnut, in order to grasp the threads, which create the philosophy of human Life. If the threads do not warp with one another, the way a woman warps, no cloth will be weaved. For the same reason, our thoughts and feelings are not weaved at random, but according to the laws of the righteous thought and the righteous feelings. The righteous thought excludes every suspicion, fear and doubt. Liberate yourself from the thought that somebody could deceive you. Be like the moneychanger – who can deceive a moneychanger? When you take to him a yellow coin and present it as gold, he takes the touchstone out of his pocket and examines it. In order not to be deceived, he should apply his touchstone and test the coin which they offer him, is it gold or false. What is necessary for contemporary people, in order not to lie themselves? They need Faith, trial and vision. Then Faith should pass to trial, trial – to vision and vision to the Life of Reason. Apply this to your family relations, to your friends and you will see its good results. When people do not understand the rules of Life, they violate them and in the end, whatever evil or misfortune happens, they give all up to God. If somebody falls ill, it is said that God has determined this; somebody is put on trial – again they consider God in charge. Man alone is in charge of his fortune or misfortune, he alone is a cause for the illnesses, hardships and contradictions, in which he finds himself. There exist two aspects of fate or impositions – for evil and for Good. On earth, they punish only those, who make mischief and harm. When a man commits a crime or mischief, the policeman catches him, gives him up to the police and initiates proceedings against him – the bigger his crime is, the higher is the noise made around him. In order to discharge him, great lawyers take up his cause, the newspapers write about him, the community reads and discuss the issue, gives its judgment, and so on. Both the criminal becomes notorious, and the lawyers and the justice, who take part in the cause, also get well known. However, when a man does Good, nobody takes interest in him. Very naturally, there are no laws on Earth to investigate the good deeds of people and give them the honour. On Earth they bring to trial only the criminals and the evildoers; in Heaven, on the contrary, they take interest in the good deeds of people, and not of the bad and criminal; there nobody takes interest in the mistakes and the crimes of people, nobody is searching for them. If someone does a good deed, the great lawyers stand up on their feet right away and say: “Bring us this man, let us see what Good he has done to give him the honour.” The greater the Good one has done, the more people are interested in him, and the more noise is raised around him.” “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him.” The good treasure of the heart is the Divine soul, where the man stores all that is given to him from God. Since there is some gift, man should draw from his treasure and give it out, to be efficient – either to himself and his relatives. Every good in Life are given by God. The good man has the right to draw from them until he satisfies his natural necessities, then he gives out to his relatives. In order to make use of the Divine goodness rationally, man should be guided not only by his mind or heart but also by his soul: to forward the energies from the air through the lungs, from there through the spinal cord and finally – into the main brain. This means that man should be active with his mind and heart, to resolve rightly his tasks, to be efficient for himself and his relatives. Don’t the gardeners act in this way? They are making use of the energy from the main source, by letting the water flow through little channels to water the most distant corners of the garden. You will say that this is not happening quickly; with haste, you cannot do a good job – man needs patience, constancy, and not haste. One American doctor was called to cure an Anatolian Turk from the Asia Minor. After he had a medical examination, the doctor prescribed a medicine for him to take, three spoonfuls daily in the course of ten days; after having taken all the medicine, his condition would have improved. The Turk had a look at the medicine, he thought twice and then said, “Why do I have to take it ten days one after the other, I’d better drink it in one gulp, so I can get better sooner?”- He raised the bottle and drank it all. After one or two hours his condition got worse and he died. Keep the measure and the prescriptions of God, the Nature and the doctor who treats you; respect the prescription that is given to you – three spoonfuls daily. Likewise, God is writing in His book “three spoonfuls daily”. You will say that the Turk was stupid. What are you going to say for contemporary people, who eat a few dishes at lunch, next, they drink two or three litres of wine; then, they have overeaten and call the doctor to help them – they upset their stomach, lose their appetite, and so on. There are Turks everywhere, not only in Malay Asia. When man does not think rightly, he resembles the Turk who drank all the medicine at once, same as the people who surfeit and upset their stomach each day. In my opinion, seventy five percent of people, surfeit every single day. Someone says that he does not surfeit, he does not surfeit but wishes to love all people and to be loved by all – is this not surfeit? Can you give all people, everything they wish? Do you have the power of the Sun? You have not yet learned to love your mother and father, your brothers, sisters and friends who have done good to you, and (already) you want to love the whole world. The human heart is known in difficult moments. Man should collect Divine energy in himself, to enrich his heart, so he can manifest his feelings in times of difficulty. In times like these, exactly, man should have food, to nourish the life of his fellow. A degraded Russian duke married for love, a young, beautiful girl of noble origin. In the first days after the wedding, he often kissed his beloved, but she got hungry and wished to eat – she wanted bread. - Let’s kiss! – He used to say to her. - I am hungry! – The beloved objected. - Let’s kiss! Let us kiss today, let us kiss tomorrow – she lost her favour towards her beloved, her love had grown cold. Very naturally, she felt deceived by him – he was extremely poor, he had just one title. One does not need just kisses; one needs many things. The uniform kisses destroy man. The kisses of some people exhaust their energy – these kisses are similar to suckers, which do not drag out the bad and impure blood of man, but the pure one. It is enough to get ten kisses like this, ten suckers, in order to see what they are like. I take the word kiss in a broad sense, not only by its frame: Everyone who muddles the mind and the heart of man gives kisses like the sucker of the leech, sucking not only the impure, but also the pure blood. The Christian teaching does not bear these kisses – it requires harmony everywhere and in everything. According to this Teaching, lame people should find their legs; the blind should see the light, and the foolish – come to their senses. Under the words foolish person I understand one, who has no circumstances for growth. Confine a smart person to a dark room and keep him there for ten years – you will see that he will grow stupid and become foolish. Why is this? He has no circumstances to progress. And vice versa – if you place a stupid person in favourable circumstances to progress, after ten years he will become smarter. Christ says, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him and the evil man – brings evil things out.” Everyone should obtain the good things out of the good stored up, once for himself and then for his relatives; this means: first, learn to love God and then learn to love your relative. If you have not learnt this art yet, and you teach others, you will be exposed - they will ask you straight away, “What did your God do for you?” This is not to blame you, but before you teach others, open your mind and heart for the Divine light, so you can progress rightly. Many close themselves to this light like a nut in its shell, and they expect good results – this is impossible. Open for the Divine light, which will free you of all hardships and contradictions. How do you know, that the Divine light penetrates through your mind and heart? The Divine light brings no doubt in human mind and in human heart – same as clear spring water, which freshens and cheers up man. If you drink water which contains all sorts of dregs, it will destroy your organism, and bring in dusk and darkness, then your thoughts and feelings, will split in two. Every teaching is Divine when it ascends and has an elevating influence on man. Nowadays, there are many preachers who preach the Christian teaching, but only a few can lecture it, properly. Both the Americans and the English sent many missioners all over the world but together with Christianity, they brought in the alcoholic drinks. Some nations appealed to them, not to forward this poison. What is the point of Christianity if you lift up a nation from one hand and poison it on the other? To give poison and destroy man is the easiest thing to do. You will say that you are not like one of these people – there is no man on earth who did not initially poison himself. How many times a day, does man let poison in his blood: today you are well tempered, you have a Divine disposition of the spirit, but you let in a thought that immediately darkens your spirit and you grow weak, losing what you have earned. How many times a day, one falls down and rises up – that is the Turk in everyone, who, not listening to God’s words, raises the bottle with the medicine and drinks it all up at once. What is Death like? It is Purification, i.e.; leaving the old and unclean house, so it can burn. A house, where people have lived thirty years in discord, arguments and misapprehension, must burn; a hospital, where thousands of sick persons with infectious diseases, have passed through; and the walls have absorbed sighs, groans and uncleanliness, should burn to the ground. Today, God is sending fire all over the world – to burn out and cleanse it from all bad thoughts, unclear, infectious thoughts and desires. Thence, He will rescue people from a greater evil. Therefore, God says, “I already begin to throw away everything old and rotten, and build up something new, solid and clean.” Now, I remove the exterior shell of the walnut, so that the inner content can emerge – the core. The core is the place where the human soul is concealed, where good thoughts and desires are cultivated, one’s will is steeled and the forces of the mind and the heart are being organized. In order to create good thoughts and desires, does not imply to mortify every desire in you. In the book, “Light upon the path” it is said: “Mortify every desire in you!” This thought undergoes correction: it should be, “Mortify every bad desire in you and revive every good desire.” When reading this book, you will see that many things must be corrected. Either the one, who wrote the book, had consciously hidden the Truth, or he had no understanding of the deep sense of the matter. When studying the Divine science, man should be guided by his inner understanding of things, not falling into doubts. If you stumble across contradictive thoughts, do not hurry to draw conclusions – reflect upon them and then make your conclusions. Christ says, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man - brings evil things out”. Even this thought has two points: from the same place – the heart – the good man brings good things out and the evil – brings evil things out. Consequently, when I want to reform a person, I tell the evil man to mortify every evil desire, not to cause mischief to himself and the other people; I tell the good man to revive all his good wishes and realize them, to be good to himself and his relatives. Man should be cautious with his desires, not to lose self-control. If he goes to the extreme with his good desires, he could encounter contradictions, which generate bad desires as well. One American professor loved the subject he taught so much, that he used to forget himself while teaching and used to keep his students half, and even sometimes one hour, after the lecture. They decided to teach him a good lesson in order to break his habit to hold them back after the bell. One day, they smeared glue on the chair the professor was sitting and screwed it well to the floor. The Professor spoke two whole hours this day and when he finished the lecture a half hour had to pass until he was set free from the chair – his clothes got stuck with the glue. The professor realized who had arranged this joke and he never again kept his students after the bell rang. It is time now for all people, glued to their chairs to unglue. Everyone should become aware that if he does not succeed in his deeds the reason is that he is stuck to the chair – first get unstuck, then work. The sticking to the chair shows that people still live with their old views and convictions. If you fail to get unstuck on your own, ask somebody to come and help you, but do not remain stuck. “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him”. Christ puts the question sharply: - “the good stored up in man and the evil stored up in man”. By the words “the good stored up in man”, He implies the human soul, which develops rightly. According to the occultists, it represents the good karma of man: the good man has fulfilled God’s laws, has gathered a good treasure in his heart, and now he has something to draw and give out to his relative. The evil man had broken God’s laws, he had done wrong and by doing so, he had created his bad karma. At present, they put him in jail, where he lies for a few years, until he acquires a certain experience – through suffering the sap of the evil turns out into goodness. In every village you will visit, you will see how the villagers take out the dung from the dung-heap and fertilize their fields and gardens – in this way they cultivate the trees and the flowers and transform them into good quality. Every man should take out the dung from his dung-heap, i.e. to take out the evil from the evil stored up in him and plant it in his field, fertilize it and transform the evil into Good, which is an indispensable element to the health of man. How do we know if a man has stored up the good in him? Imagine that you get up in the morning, joyful and cheerful, and throughout the day you keep this favourable disposition – in this case, you have stored up the good things in your heart. If you remain favourably disposed, despite the tribulations that happen to you during the whole day, you are a rich person, you bring good things out of the good stored up in you. That, what is true for one day, is valid for many days. If you wake up in the morning and you are in a bad frame of mind, and throughout the day, you are not able to improve your condition, you are bringing evil things out of the evil stored up in you. You are going to apologize that you are not well-disposed, that you are sick, and so on. Nothing can excuse you – the stored up in you is not good. You have nothing left to do, but take the evil things out of the evil stored up in you and throw it as dung over your field. Afterwards, sufferings will come to you but say, “I am ready to suffer, in order to ascend, to acquire patience and Love.” Man should be patient. Somebody passes for a patient person, because the conditions impose him to bear – this is woe, not patience. Woe imposes on man, whereas patience is a result of the reasonable human will. Never impose on someone your beliefs, views and convictions, let him be free to plant a garden on his own the way he understands it – you can give him the seeds, but he has to plant and cultivate them alone. He can make some mistake - this is of no significance; the evil is not located in the mistakes that a person makes but in the failure to correct the mistakes. It is important that a person has freedom to develop rightly; at the same time, he should give a free hand to others to develop rightly too. How do mothers act with their children? When the child is little, the mother puts on it swaddling clothes, ties it with a wrapper, and thus the baby lies for hours. First, she gives it a bath, unwraps the swaddling clothes and leaves the child free to kick with its legs for a while. After, she baths it, she wraps it quickly into swaddling clothes, ties it with the wrapper and lays it in the cradle to sleep–the child should lie down and keep quiet, such is the statute. Some religious people act the same way: they catch someone, put on him swaddling clothes, tie him with a swaddling band and say, “We turned this man to God.” You did not turn him, but you restricted him. If you meet a man, wrapped in swaddling clothes follow the example of the mother: after the period of four or five months, she uncovers the swaddle and sets the child free–by doing so she gives it conditions to develop freely and naturally. If the child remains for a long time in the swaddle, tied with a wrapper, its growth will cease and it will shrink. No mother wants to see her child shrunk–she wants it to become healthy, strong, to develop well. On entering a religious society, initially a person is found in the position of a child, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and tied with a band; after some time he gets rid of the swaddling and starts to develop rightly and naturally, to grow and become reasonable, manifesting the good stored up in him. Therefore, when a man gets up from sleep, he should ask himself if he is free from the swaddling and the wrapper. Once he is certain that he is free, he starts to move his hands and legs freely, to stretch, which means that he is ready to work. The hands and legs of man represent the human will. Because when the eyes, the tongue, the hands and the legs of man are free, this shows that he has a mind, heart and willpower to work with, in order to fulfill God’s Will. The sleep represents the swaddling and the diapers, in which man is wrapped; once you wake up, untie the swaddling, take the diapers off and say: “Thank You, Lord for giving me the Freedom to move and work, to manifest my will, mind and heart, and serve you.” Prepare for Heaven, while you are still on Earth, because in Heaven there is no sleeping, no wrappers, no swaddling. Work on yourself, in order to ascend your spirit, to develop your Spiritual body, in which you will resurrect. There are people, who will resurrect while they are still on Earth–it is about them that apostle Paul says, that their exterior cover will resurrect and undergo change. Aspire to the Resurrection as an inner process – that means man should liberate all doubts and restrictions. Believe in your mind and heart, in your Spirit and soul, which God has put in you, and you will resurrect. Hence, if you bring the good things out of the good stored up in you, acknowledge this; if you bear evil things stored up in you, fertilize your field with the evil, in order to transform it into Good–this is the thought that Christ put in the verse for the good and the evil stored up in man. The time has already arrived for man to move through the transient and the restricted, to the eternal, from the swaddling clothes and the wrapper - to the Freedom, from the milk- to the raw food. The little child is fed with milk, it is in the nature of things, but if the young girl, or the young man want to suck, this is not a natural process. Once the child begins to walk, it can eat raw food - this freedom is indispensable for its growth and development. “The good and the evil stored up in man.” Everyone should ask himself whether he belongs to the good or to the evil people, to the believers or the unbelievers. Who is an unbeliever? It is one who has no Light in one’s mind. Open the windows of his house, so the Light can enter from outside. If a person does not posses money to open the window, let him open it on his own account. Everyone, who is placed in a dark room with no windows, will become an unbeliever. Belief is revealed with Light and unbelief with Darkness. The good is done at Light, and the evil - in darkness. Man has to transform his life, i.e. to leave the darkness and enter into the Light. Every morning, after getting up from sleep, say to yourself: “I am a good and a reasonable man, because God created me.” You will reply, that this is untrue. As I take it, all that is created from God is Good and reasonable. In order to be convinced of this, throw away the old and ragged clothes to see the Divine clothing in which God has dressed you. Who do you blame that you have dressed in the old rags and you cannot recognize yourself. Do not trust those, who support the thought that man is sinful in nature. Only the one, who lives in a dark and gloomy cellar and does not know how to come out of it, is sinful. Take this man out of the cellar and place him in the Divine world, in Freedom and open space. Christ appeals to the good and reasonable people to bring out the good stored up in their hearts and help their fallen brothers. Give out as a gift, so it will be given back to you. Give out of your golden and not from your paper money, because in Heaven, paper money will not pass - every good thought, every good feeling and every good act are specie money, which never lose value. The good store implies the specie money, and the evil store - the paper money. David says: My mother conceived me in sin - he acknowledges that sin is not Divine, but an invention of man. John says: “I am conceived by God.” The one who lives in a dark room and brings evil things out of his store, he is conceived by the devil; the one that lives in a room full of light and brings good things out of his store, he is conceived by God. Live and work like Christ does, and become one with God. This is what Christ requires from all people, to revive, to reorganize the societies and the nations, to penetrate the new Life everywhere, to bring the Divine Realm on Earth. It is not enough to know who Christ is and what he has done, but everyone should ask himself what he has done, alone. We all know what Christ did two thousand years ago, we all see what he is doing today, but what have you done, and still do, as a human being? – “You, who speak now, what, are you?” – Come to work with me and you will see what I am. If we work together and I take twenty per cent of the profit, and I give to you ten percent, you will understand how righteous I am, but if I give to you more, and take less for myself, or if we share equally, again you will understand what I am. This is the meaning of the verse, “You will get to know them by their deeds.” Now, I want all people to loosen their purse-strings, brains and hearts, to throw aside the swaddling clothes and the wrappers and to begin freely to move their hands and legs. This is required by both religious and worldly people, this is required by the life of Reason. You will say that it is easy to talk but hard to work. The one who speaks with Love, he works easily with Love. He had gone through tribulation and sufferings, he has understood Life and knows how to work - his words are rich in content and meaning. Christ is coming to Earth to revive mankind, the nations, societies, as well as each person individually. Thence everyone should say to himself: “I can achieve anything along with God, with the Angels and the good people.” If everyone would say this to himself, the world will reform and everything will work out for the better. There are three ways, by which man can enter in the Narrow path, i.e.; in the Divine path: the first way is to push the train which leads in this direction, the second way - is to compete with it, and the third - is to get on this train and let it take you along to the determined place. If you come across this train, do not push it to go forward - it will move by itself; do not compete with it - you will fail to follow it, but get inside and believe that it will take you to the Divine Kingdom. I wish all of you to be like the good man, for whom Christ says, that he takes out good things out of the good stored up in him. 20 May 1917, Sofia
  5. GOD HAS JOINED TOGETHER “What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder” Matthew 19: 6 “What God has joined together… ” Obviously, in this verse Christ speaks about marriage. Actually, is this marriage, what people do at present? Two families become close friends, live well together and after a time they marry their children – is it the right joining? There are three kinds of joining: the first is what God does – it is the true and sound joining; the second one is what a person does by oneself and the third is what people do. All difficulties, contradictions and sufferings of the joined people come from the last two. In order to be able to do a certain joining rightly, a person, a master or a state should be deeply filled with God’s Wisdom, should comprehend the main law on which Life is built. To comprehend the main law of Life means to comprehend Life as it is manifesting in Nature. That is why, when reading the verse in which Christ speaks about joining, you should realize it in its full, in its deep sense, not sticking to the perfunctory meaning of the word. “What God has joined together, let not man put asunder” – many read and read over this verse but do not comprehend it. Many preachers have spoken on this verse, have interpreted it but they have not touched the main Truth hidden in it. Why is the Truth contained in this verse not revealed? For two reasons: from one side, because of the ignorance of those speaking on it; from the other side, because of the intentional shrouding of the Truth for fear that it may expose them. Lack of knowledge, ignorance is excusable – not knowing something people speak about what they know and how they think. However, it is neither excusable nor justifiable to know the Truth and to hide it consciously. The Truth is a great principle. Only a clear person can speak the Truth; if someone unclear tries to speak the Truth, It would kill that one. In addition, only a clear person can comprehend the Truth. Someone wants to have the Truth told - in order to hear the Truth, he or she should be ready to die; in other words, you cannot hear and comprehend the Truth if you are not ready to lay down your life for it. The words of Christ: “Who is not ready to deny himself” understand the readiness of man to deny his life in order to comprehend the great Divine Truth. Christ has spoken a lot on the joining together as well as on the major principles in Life, but only fragments have reached us on which people today put free interpretations, create various theories that do not correspond with the Absolute Truth. A right thought is only the one practiced in the real life. “What God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” Joining exists not only between the souls but between the tones as well – we call this harmony. If we look at a violin we will see that it consists of several parts but arranged in such a way that all curves and angles are directed to one straight line passing through the middle of the violin. The violin master has combined its lines and angles in such a way that when touching its strings all tones come out from the main opening in a harmonic combination. Man, too, is an instrument similar to a violin – with four well-strained strings. The strings of a violin differ not only in thickness but in the intensity of the sound as well. In order to play the violin, one needs also a fiddlestick with well-strained strings so that the desired tones are reached when touching the strings. To know to play the violin means that man has acquired one of the greatest arts in Life. When a child starts learning to play the violin, in the beginning the child creaks, and makes false tones; the more that child grows up and exercises, the more the tones become clearer. Life is music – for man to live right means to have the art of playing. The human body is an instrument, a special violin with which man plays. The strings are the four main temperaments through which people manifest themselves. The four main temperaments are sanguine or gaseous, mental or nervous, choleric and phlegmatic. It is not enough to have four strings in the violin; they should be of high quality, should be made of good material, and should have a certain thickness. The same holds true in respect of the temperaments: it is not enough to say that someone has sanguine or mental-nervous temperament, but that temperament should be of high quality. To play well, a violinist should be talented, should play with all his heart and should have good violin, good fiddlestick and strings of the best quality. Then, when playing, his violin will produce clear, pleasant tones. Someone may ask what remains of the violinists when they put their soul in the violin. The soul manifests itself in three different ways – in the field of the feelings, of the thoughts and of the acts. When the soul manifests itself in the feelings, they take part in the playing – soft, warm, harmonic tones flow from the violin, as if it speaks by itself. One eminent violinist took his violin to a good Italian master to be repaired. The master invited him to sit down to wait until the violin was repaired in order to take it back. Watching how the master took the violin to pieces with his knife the violinist lost consciousness. Why did he faint? Because the knife touching the violin gave him pain – a part of his soul was in the violin. Christ says: “What God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” – What joining has God made, which things has He joined? God has joined the mind and the heart, the soul and the Spirit, the body and the lower soul. Must an ignorant person spoil what God has joined? Who is an ignorant person? It is one, who does not speak the Truth, does not comprehend Wisdom and does not act according to Justice and Love. Since you know this, do not act like the ignorant one – to part what God has joined together. People who observe God’s laws enjoy success in their life. The peasants in a village complained to the bishop against their priest for getting tired with his divine service that often lasted four-five hours. Sometimes he finished the service within half an hour but most times he kept people in the church for hours. The bishop called the priest, told him that there was complaint against him from his parishioners and asked him what he had to say for himself. The priest said, “Divine bishop, it is true what they say against me. The reason is that when the angels and the saints help me with my service, I finish my work quickly, within half an hour. But when I am left alone, by my own power, without the support of the Bright beings, I finish my work within four-five hours.” Hence, when things take a turn for the better, the Bright beings help people; when things take a turn for the worse, the Bright beings have left them to themselves. This explains why some trees become ripe earlier while others become ripe later; for example, the cornel-tree is an early flowerer but it becomes ripe last. When creating the world, God created both plants and fruit-trees and allowed every spirit to choose a fruit-tree of his own. When the turn of the devil came, he chose the cornel-tree as it flowers first. He told himself, “Since the cornel-tree flowers first, it will become ripe first, too,” but he was wrong – the cornel-tree became ripe last. Man, too, may become ripe early, like the cherry-tree or last like the cornel-tree. There are reasons, too, why some fruit-trees become ripe early and others – late. Ripening of the cherry-tree and the cornel-tree are processes taking part in the human life as well. “What God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” By this verse, Christ calls the attention of people to spoil not what God has made. As for spoiling, present people are masters in it; no matter among what people you fall, you will see that all people are masters in spoiling matters. You can see what some peasants do passing by a nice stone fountain; once they look at it, they feel like taking out their knife or axe to grind on the base. In this situation, is it possible for the base not to be ruined? Is it possible that anyone, either priest, teacher, preacher or judge is not spoiled if you grind your axes on them? After that they say, “Our priest, preacher or judge is not good at this job.” How can they be good, how will they not be spoiled, if you grind axes and knives on them? In order not to spoil what God has created, first we should not spoil it. Who is the cause of the spoiling? Before learning the art of grinding their axes on the base of fountains, people should have learned the law of harmony. A young man marries a good, tender, considerate girl but after several years he takes out his axe and begins grinding it on her base; he grinds the axe and fixes her, “You must not be attentive, tender, considerate to people.” He grinds his axe one day, another day, until finally his sweetheart spoils and becomes rough – how will she not become bad when axes are being grinded on her back all the time. The same happens with the young man. You should not grind your axes on the backs of the good girls and boys, you should not spoil them; you should grind them on the backs of the rough, sharp and cruel people - they need blunting. One priest had a habit of incensing in front of the stalls of the laity that were permanently unoccupied. One of those present asked the priest: - Father, why do you incense in front of the unoccupied stalls and not in front of us who are present at the service? - You have no need to be incensed. Once you are here, you are out of any danger while those who are absent need to be incensed as they are disposed to great dangers and evils. Be as that priest and go where there is a need to go, do not go where there is not a need. The rich always invite the rich to a feast – they always incense in front of their stalls as they have what to take from them. I do not blame them, I just announce a fact – everyone says, “Today I am invited, tomorrow I will invite.” It is good to do what is harmonic, natural and wise, so that Divine harmony is restored. Let us feed the poor, the hungry, the orphan children, as this is God’s will – to spoil not what He has made. “What God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” – This is one of the principles on which Christ draws the attention of humankind. You would say Christ preached well – why did He preach well? As His sermons give Life, give a fillip to the minds and the hearts of people. A true sermon is the one that feeds the human soul and gives it power to advance. The sermons of Christ are true as they are based on the Live Rational Nature – He interprets the occurrences in Nature as they are. People, who cannot interpret them right, are under a delusion and at the same time they delude others. Examine Nature; study it so that you may use its forces. Those who seek Nature and wish to get in touch with it, let them get up early every morning, especially in May, and go out to have a walk in the air before the Sunrise. What a greater sight than the Sunrise[A1] ! At the same time, you will use the early sunbeams, which have a wholesome effect on the organism. Get up early in the morning before the Sun rise so that you accept its blessing and then begin your work. Restore the unity between your organism and the Sun like between your soul and God that have been established from the beginning. Avoid the temporary joining with people in order to run not into disharmonic states and contradictions. Therefore, do study Nature; do study the Divine manifestations without criticizing. Someone opens a book, takes only a passage from it and starts criticizing it saying that such and such a thought is not in accordance with the new theories about life. Are the new theories in accordance with the Divine teaching and with the Divine laws? All of us should be bearers of the Divine teaching, because all people as souls form parts of the Divine organism and God requires that His body is healthy and all its parts are in harmony. Only in this way, one may be glad and merry. If not healthy, he or she cannot be glad and merry; the reason for that is not in God. If a husband and a wife cannot live well, the reason is not in God; if a brother and a sister do not get along, the reason is not in God. If there is no confidence and consent between the ruling circles and the ruled classes, the reason is not in God. The reason for the disharmony, the mistrust, and the contradictions between people is in the ruining of the joining that God has made. In future, all eminent people like teachers, writers, professors, preachers, should come down from the height of their standing and should enter the world among the common, the poor and the suffering people to teach them how to live – that is what Christ wants from all people. By His descending to the Earth, Christ showed people how they should apply the great, disinterested Love between one another. All contemporary writers realize that God works in the world. He makes great transformations in human minds and hearts; that is why it is said in the Scripture that a new world is being created, new minds and hearts are in the making. The new people will create the New humankind which will prove that new powers and energies work in the world as well as in the whole of Nature. “What God has joined together, let not man put asunder” – between what has this joining been made? Between the stomach and the food, between the lungs and the air, between the heart and the emotions, between the mind and the thoughts. If any of these combinations are broken, man is upset. It is enough that the right combination between the stomach and the food is broken in order to fall ill and to ask for doctor help. However, if the doctor helps but this combination is broken for the second time, the stomach would start opposing it and not long after that, it would give up its service. Once the stomach of someone is upset, the relations with other people will also be upset. Each one must make a combination between the stomach and the food one takes by oneself: if the combination is good, one feels healthy, fresh, merry, and ready for any work; if after that one does not feel healthy, optimistic and fresh, the combination is not harmonious. Not knowing their organism and being not able to make good combinations, people consult eminent scientists and doctors and execute their advice. The opinion of the scientists is right but is not the same for all people, not the same for the different ages (physical and intellectual). One should constantly change one’s food – the state of health depends on the change in food. As the incorrect combination between the stomach and the food upsets the human organism, in the same way the incorrect combination between the heart and the feelings upsets both the physical and the psychical state of people. You may say that people should love each other. How many lads should love one lass and how many lasses – one lad? If ten lads love one lass, they would upset her. Better one lad love her, not ten – the ten lads would upset her mind, would disturb her heart and soon she would fall ill. In fact, only one is who loves , not two. Somewhere in America, there was a famous preacher, who used to fascinate the audience with his eloquence. The day came when he had to leave. All his listeners and laity came out to see him off, as he was a general favourite. Along with them, all the dogs, the ducks and the geese came out to say good-bye to him and to wish him a pleasant journey. At last, he mounted a horse and left to the railway station. At the end of the town the horse reared, unseated him and said, “Good-bye, friend, we don’t need such celebrities, they are not necessary for our development.” Who is famous? One, who fulfills God’s will, and like the Sun, brings blessing to all living beings. No matter whether you sleep or are awake, the Sun sends its blessings and leaves. Some think that, in order to be saved, they should be orthodox – that is not right. If you are sleeping when the Sun is rising, nothing can save you no matter who you are. The salvation of the humankind lies in that Great religion that unites all religions as parts of one whole. The new religion is Love – it unites all people, reconciles and settles their contradictions and spreads Joy and Mirth in them. For people, to be united means to have a common ideal, and common aspirations. The unification, the unity gives people force and makes them powerful – they may achieve what they wish. When the Israelites left Egypt and set off with Moses to the Promised Land, they divided in twelve tribes and each tribe carried a part of the Tabernacle. Wherever they stopped, they gathered all its parts, built it and offered a fervent prayer to God. United as one and offering their prayer to God they received His blessing. What do present orthodox people do? They, too, carry the parts of the Tabernacle, but until now, they cannot gather at one place to build it and to offer together a thanksgiving prayer to God. If someone asks them what they carry, they reply, “We are orthodox and we carry the parts of the Tabernacle.” Christ is saying to them, “Gather together at one place and let each one bring the part they carry so that we can build the Great Tabernacle. And let all of us pray together to God in Spirit and Truth.” All people to gather the parts of the Tabernacle in whole – that is what is understood by the verse: “What God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” In other words, do not misinterpret the great Love that God has put in your souls. It is already time for people to take up the education of their minds and hearts being the first joining God has made. What a great good for man to have a mind that thinks right and a heart that feels right and to join them together. When the mind thinks right and the heart feels right, people comprehend things. They have achieved this understanding by the way of the sufferings; nevertheless, they grumble about their sufferings. Blessed are the suffering, the blind, and the lame and so on. Why are people blind, lame, and crippled? As they have passed through a certain philosophy that has crippled them. They should seek God’s Truth that brings Life and shows the way to God. Many seek God where He is not. In May, do go out early in the morning at 4 o’clock and you will find God. Take part in the singing of the birds, in the puff of the gentle breeze, in the gurgling of the springs and you will find God. The Sun invites all living beings to go out, to meet it in order to send them God’s blessing. Why not thank the Sun as a servant of God bringing a message from our Father and say to it, “Bring our greeting to our Father and tell Him that we have now decided to restore the harmony we have disturbed!” What do most people do? Waking up, they look out and seeing there is wind and the sky is cloudy, they say, “The weather is bad, it’s not time to get up.” No, do give thanks for the weather, whatever it is, and say, “Nice is the day. I will get up to enjoy the goods it hides.” Thank the wind as it airs your thoughts and feelings; thank the clouds as they bring moisture refreshing the flowers, the trees and the fruits – this is the right Teaching to which people strive for. All living beings want to be loved, to live free and to enjoy the goods that Nature gives. When I meet a dog, it looks at me, wags its tail and asks me, “Do you think of beating me or of letting me go my way freely?” – “Go your way freely, I am bringing peace, not violence.” The dog believes me, wags its tail and goes on. “What God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” То keep this connection one should be ready to apply the teaching of Christ. That means to observe the law of harmony, known under the name law of sympathy. Two laws act in the world – a law of sympathy and a law of antipathy, i.e. a law of harmony and a law of disharmony. When they love each other, people apply the law of sympathy, of harmony, they live like brothers with each other; when they do not love each other they live according to the law of antipathy, of disharmony. There is repulsion in this law while in the first one there is attraction. Where harmony exists, God is there; that is why everyone should ask himself or herself whether they are joined with God or not. Do not seek God outside yourself as some form but seek Him within yourselves as content. A rose and a pink have some outward form but important is their fragrance that people perceive inwardly – they differ in fragrance. Therefore, God is outside and inside – it is an error to think He is outside only. We should not deliberately shut our eyes to the Truth – all things in which there is combination, are internal. For example, there is a piano, notes, a pianist, but the music is not manifested yet; to have music, the pianist should combine all elements in a whole and should manifest himself – you listen and perceive the music inwardly. However, only those who listen closely to themselves, to their inner voice, can comprehend the inner content of things – this is what it means to comprehend the sense of things. Many ask themselves what the church is. The church is the piano, the holy books – the notes and the priest – the pianist. He should sit down at the piano and play in compliance with all rules of music. You will tune your ear and will listen to perceive the music inwardly and to thank God for having the opportunity to make use of it. Be glad that you can go out at Sunrise and can perceive its rays. Blessed is the one who can comprehend the joining that God has put in the whole of Nature – between the minerals, the plants and the animals. You would say the minerals and the plants are mute – Nature is live and rational, there is nothing mute in it. One, who has ears, can hear and listen to the speech of Nature and can comprehend it. All mystics comprehend Nature as music, speech and song – this is how it preaches and teaches people. There is not a priest in the world that could be compared with Nature. “What God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” God has made several basic combinations: from one side between the body, the soul, and the Spirit and from the other side between the mind, the heart, and the will. The human Spirit passes through these conditions so that it perfects itself. In the physical world, one studies the law of movement, in the Spiritual world – the qualities of the emotions and their intensity and in the Mental world – the sense of Life. When talking about a resurrection, about Eternal life, we understand the joining existing between the human Spirit and the human soul. They contain the qualities of the Divine Spirit and the Divine soul; that is why man has the potentialities God has. People should realize that and should work on themselves so that the Divine put in them manifests. If someone says that he or she cannot do something, this shows that he/she denies the Divine in himself/herself; if they say that they are sinners, they deny what God has joined. God has given to you a lot of land, which you should cultivate. Many leave their hearts and minds uncultivated – this is the reason why various unwanted seeds fall from outside from which weeds and thorns grow. Those who do not cultivate what God has given to them cannot be saved – they do not see an exit from anywhere. Those, who do not work in consent with the Divine, cannot expect any goods. Each one should say, “God has put in me certain talents and potentialities and I should work in order to develop them.” You would say that man is a sinner and cannot achieve anything by himself. A sinner is only the one who has broken the joining God has made. Turn to the Divine within yourself with the will to restore the joining existing between your mind and heart, your soul and Spirit and you will be good, will enjoy the goods you are given. Do not say that people are bad, that they obstruct you to reveal yourself, but try to find the reason for that within yourself. Apply Faith, patience and Love and you will see that soon you will achieve good results. In order to know your fellow men, do remove the outer casing from them and you will see that inside they are sweet – the green shell of the walnut is bitter but the kernel is sweet, tasty. Only thus, you can know the qualities of the human soul. Do not say that man is a wolf to man; if you think in this way, you see the wolf skin that people have put on for the time being – inside they are not wolves. Others have put on a lion skin, but inside they are not lions. You should get to the inner nature of people in order to comprehend that man is a brother to man, not a wolf. One, who has worked and continues working on oneself, has kept one’s Purity as a natural garment given by God. Meeting such people you see God in their face and are glad for having seen them. Your task is to learn, to keep everything you have been given in the remote past. Where will you study? At the Great Teacher – God, whose Teaching has neither beginning, nor ending. It leads to Resurrection, to Eternal life. To resurrect means to start learning and working from the beginning. The resurrected are ready to renounce their personal life and to work and live only for the One who has created them. Today, Christ calls the attention of all people so that they realize that the image of God is within them and that they should take up to clean Him in order to restore the initial joining within themselves with which they were born. God has given health to people and they should carefully preserve it. To preserve your health, do get up early in the morning, especially in May – at 4 o’clock you should be out of bed. It is good not only for you but for all people: teachers, priests, mothers, fathers – all should begin their work early. When the Sun rises, do say, “Blessed be, God, our Lord, who sent the Sun so that we make use of its light and heat!” Only the one, who appreciates the goods that Nature is giving with an open hand, comprehends the meaning of the verse, said by Christ two thousand years ago, “What God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” Discussing this verse, I just sow seeds in your fields. The rest of the job is yours – you will grow them as a writer takes a theme and develops it. That is what means to hear the voice of your Great Father – of Love and to comprehend the sense of your Life and your purpose on the Earth. That is what means to be regenerated, which is to be born anew. Christ says, “If you are not born again, you will not enter the Kingdom of God.” For this reason, one that was born by a mother and a father, will be born and regenerated many times on the Earth. Stupid people will be born and regenerated until they become wise. Ordinary people should become talented, geniuses, saints, Angels, etc. If there are not conditions for every living being to develop, Life will lose its sense. Do work, do develop without striving to be first – who wants to be first, remains last. It is told in an old legend that while creating the world, God charged the Sun with the great mission to give warmth, to shine and to heat. However, it wanted to rise first and to go first to God. Hearing about its desire, God ordered all planets to move around it, and it – around God. Thus, the Sun, the elder brother of the Heaven turned out to be more far away from God than all its younger brothers. The Sun realized its mistake and continued to rise and set on and on in order to expiate it. The rest of the planets turn around it to learn the law of moving. Many Christians have the same desire as the Sun has – to be near Christ, but the new Teaching, the Teaching of Love, excludes self-seeking. “Blessed are the humble and the meek,” – Christ says; in other words, blessed are those who take the place that God has set for them. It is preferable to take the last place but to do God’s will than to be first but to not do God’s will. Christ says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they will see God.” I wish you to restore the joining between your mind and your heart, as well as between your Spirit and your soul so that all energies which turncocks you had closed for ages start running. 13 May 1917, Sofia ___________________________ [A1][What a greater sight is there than the Sunrise !]
  6. To Take and to Give “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 The word thief is a common word that everyone knows. Is there a child that has not stolen a cube or two of sugar from the sugar bowl, or is there a child that has not dipped from the honey jar without permission, or is there a child that has not touched his father’s money bag without permission, or is there a child that has not climbed up other people’s fruit trees to pick apples and pears without permission? In this verse, however, Christ does not talk about such kinds of thieves, but about thieves that act in three different ways: these thieves come to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. It is interesting to learn how the desire to steal was born in man. People have noticed that children are born with clenched fists; however, people die with their hands open, unclenched. What does the fist symbolize? It is one thing if a grown up man points his fist at you, and an entirely different thing if a newborn points his fist at you. The word thief (kradetz in Bulgarian) is a common word, known to everyone, but it is also a meaningful word. Its root, sog, comes from Sanskrit and means causes and consequences, darkness and disharmony. In Turkish the root of the word thief is karas and is similar to the Indian word karma, which means fate. The notions of cause and consequences have a deeper meaning than the word fate. Light and darkness are two manifestations of Nature that possess different qualities: light brings warmth, whereas darkness, i.e. the thief, taken in its broadest sense, takes away warmth. Hence, at night, after the Sun goes down, one feels cool. Therefore, darkness absorbs the Warmth that carries in itself the element of Life. When the air temperature cools down the plants lose part of their warmth, too; then, in order to maintain their warmth plants absorb part of the Earth’s warmth, which causes the Earth to cool down. The overall cooling results in the formation of different atmospheric currents. Night is different from day in that there is less Warmth and Light. When they look at the different manifestations of their lives, people say: This is our culture. Yes, this is your culture, but it is a culture of darkness, i.e. a mechanistic culture. Every mechanistic culture is transitional and inessential, for it takes away more than it gives. In the broader sense of the word we call such culture a culture of thieves. Take the pig as an example, for it has tried this culture, too. While the pig is in the process of fattening up it receives a few visitations a day from its master who gives it plenty of food; however, once the pig is big and fat its master pulls out his knife, puts it to the pig’s neck, and, a few squeals later, it is all over. Thus the pig tries out its master’s culture first hand. While it is in the process of fattening up the pig is like a factory for its master, for it accumulates a lot of material on its back. The master, on the other hand, is the thief who comes with his knife to steal the materials that his worker, the pig, has accumulated. From a Divine standpoint a thief is someone who is distancing himself from God. In the process of distancing himself from God man gives way to his selfishness, because he has lost his inner Light and Warmth. Jesus defines the thief as someone who comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. If you meet such a man he will destroy you first, and he will kill you, and then he will rob you. There are three types of thieves: there are the thieves in the physical world who rob other people’s safes and moneybags. Then, there are the thieves in the Spiritual world who rob people’s hearts and feelings. Finally, there are the thieves in the Mental world who rob people’s thoughts. When people discuss a certain topic (like we are discussing the topic of the thief right now) they look for logic and try to find if it is present in a statement or not. It is important what kind of logic people are looking for. There are three types of logic: the logic of forms, the logic of content and the logic of meaning. The logic of forms is a mechanical process: for example, we say, “A man is a biped being and a chicken is a biped being, therefore a chicken is a man.” The religious people, on the other hand, say, “The blood of Christ saves and a man who has bathed himself with this blood is a saved man.” I’m asking this: is the blood with which a man has bathed himself really Jesus’ blood? This is a logical thought: it is true in content but not in meaning. Man needs to know the art of transforming blood into energy, into Power. A religious man should study the spiritual language; for example, blood is red, but what does the colour red stand for? Spiritually, the red colour is the carrier of Life: where there is Life there is also Warmth. Therefore, it is Jesus’ life that saves people and not His blood: this is the logic of the meaning. Blood is a symbol; it is the form of something, and Life, presented in the symbol of the colour red, brings salvation for man. Man can save himself through living by the laws of Love, i.e. by adhering to Christ’s teaching: this is the deep meaning behind the concept of the blood of Christ. “The thief does not come except to steal.” Theft is a part of the idle, lazy man’s culture. If someone does not like to work, he lives off other people’s labour, and if such a person does not voluntarily receive what he needs he resorts to theft as a form of violence. You might say that this is strongly put. No, it is not strongly put, but it is the logic of forms, of content, and of meaning. I am using all three kinds of logic because I am speaking the Truth. In this case, the logic of meaning has an advantage over the other two kinds of logic. Besides these three kinds of logic there are another four kinds, but I am not going to speak of those today. All in all, a thought is true when it takes into account the three kinds of logic. Therefore, the concept of thief that Jesus talks about is true because the thief acts in all three worlds by robbing man of his form, his content, and his meaning; the thief also takes away a man’s Life, feelings and thoughts. If all you rely on is the physical logic of form you will inevitably fall into delusion. For example, if you see that someone is crying you might think that he is suffering, but tears do not always imply suffering. Once there was a villager who loved eating ember-roasted eggs, but his wife would not let him eat eggs, for she wanted to sell them for additional income. It so happened that this villager’s wife fell seriously ill and died. The villager breathed a sigh of relief and thought to himself, “Now I can eat as many roasted eggs as I want.” After coming back from his wife’s funeral he went right to the fireplace and put a few eggs into the glowing embers imagining the pleasure of eating them undisturbed by his wife. At this moment a few women, neighbours of his, dropped in on him to express their condolences regarding the great misfortune that had befallen him in losing his wife. Being so fearful of his wife the man forgot that she was not alive anymore, and so he quickly snatched the eggs out of the fire and hid them down the front of his shirt. The hot eggs burned him so badly that his eyes started streaming with tears. The women neighbours saw the tears falling from his eyes and commiserated, saying, “These must be such painful times for you, brother.” “Yes,” the villager replied, “It is really painful especially down the front of my shirt.” This sentence is true in form, but not in meaning, because the villager was not crying about losing his wife, but because of the pain caused by the hot eggs hidden down the front of his shirt. Here is another story: in an evangelical school there was a young man who would cry every time he would read the Bible. Seeing this, those around him would think to themselves: “This young man will make a good preacher.” Why was the young man crying? He would look out at the windows of the women’s school that his beloved attended. He was in love with one of the schoolgirls, but she did not respond to his feelings and this is what made him sad and cry. However, the people around him thought that he was crying because he was so touched by the Word. This young man merits respect because he expresses his feelings through his tears, but people did not understand the content of his suffering and drew the wrong conclusion. I will give you another example to help you see the religious convictions of some people and the logic that they are based on. One young mister went to an evangelical preacher and started crying and wailing: “My sorrow is so great, I feel like I will burst. Please, pray for me so that God can help me fulfill my desire.” The preacher thought that the young man had repented about something and that he had realized his mistakes and was wishing to get back on the right path of life. He turned to the suffering man, saying, “Come with me and let us pray together.” Then the preacher started praying like this, “Oh, Lord, help this repentant sinner, cleanse him of his sins, enlighten his mind and soul, and let him come into our enclosure.” After finishing his prayer, the preacher asked the young man, “What is the cause of your suffering?” “Oh, my suffering is great”, the young man replied. “I love a young woman and I want to marry her. If I cannot do that, I will kill myself, for I cannot live without her. If God helps me fulfill my desire I will believe in Him. If He does not help me, I will not believe in Him.” After saying that the young man went home hoping that his prayer would be answered. Not before long the young man paid another visit to the preacher and told him, “Praise the Lord for not fulfilling my desire. I went to a gathering where I saw my beloved dance with a young officer all night long without paying the slightest attention to me. I do not want a woman like that.” The Turks have a saying about young men and women like the one from the story; they say, “A rolling stone gathers no moss.” To be religious does not mean that one has to belong to a certain sect or that he should enter into some enclosure. If a master has ten thousand sheep he can put them into ten enclosures, and not only into one. By studying the internal meaning of Life man comes to the conclusion that because he is a thinking being he belongs to God first, then he belongs to humankind, then to his people, to his family and finally, to himself. Therefore, if someone asks me if I am a Bulgarian, I will respond like this, “I am a thinking being that belongs first to God, then to humankind, then to my people, then to my home and finally, to myself.” This is the logical and correct way of thinking for anyone who wants to have a correct grasp of the deep meaning of Life. The Self, i.e. the individual, selfish element in man is related to life on earth. Hence, to live for oneself first means to think only of one’s stomach and lungs. However, man’s meaning and purpose does not come down only to his head, or lungs, or stomach. Therefore, the Self is a form that needs to be in concord with all other forms that have content and meaning. In other words, just like there needs to be concord and unity among all people, so should there be full concord between the head, the lungs and the stomach; then we can call such a man a man of strong will in whom the wise and conscious willpower unites the mind, the heart and the body. Under the word willpower, in the broader sense of the word, we understand the inner content of the human, the inner strength that must participate in the creation of forms. Every form is created so that it can be filled with certain content. In this case, the relation between the form and the content corresponds to the relation between the content and the meaning of things. “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Jesus speaks of two opposite characters: that of the thief and that of the shepherd. The thief has three distinctive features: he steals, kills, and destroys; the shepherd has one - he gives Life, and gives it abundantly. The word life means movement; it is willpower that gives one an impulse to move and to live. When God created the original man He breathed Life into his nostrils and he became a living soul and started to move and live. The phrase abundant life means conscious and sublime Life in which one’s judicious willpower finds the correct way of expression. When he speaks of the thief who takes and the shepherd who gives Jesus takes into consideration not only the external logic of things, and not only the theory of knowledge, but also its application in practice. By living and by applying things man learns to distinguish different forms and acquires true Knowledge, for he learns to distinguish the thief from the shepherd. If you want to acquire positive Knowledge about Life you need to focus not only on the theory of Christ’s Teaching, but also on its application in life. Theory is condensed knowledge and practice is diluted knowledge; theory is condensed Wisdom and practice is a diluted one, i.e. Wisdom that has been put into practice in Life. Consequently, every theory about Life, no matter how correct, true and good it might be, remains misunderstood to a certain extent unless it is applied in practice. The logic behind things is tested in Life and through Life. For example, a young woman wants to get married and she thinks, “I will marry this young man, then I will have a few children, and I will bring them up well. I will treat my husband well, etc.” The young woman has good ideas, and her theory is correct, but her logic is wrong, for the young man whom she intends to marry is a bad apple and she cannot fix that. There are so many fathers and mothers who advise their sons and daughters about going down the right path in life, but their children just won’t listen and they end up being off track. I am not telling you this to discourage you, but to let you know that a man who is off track cannot be set right. A man that is off track is someone who has consciously distanced himself from God. These are those people who live only for themselves: they regard Life from the viewpoint of physical logic, and because of that they have distanced themselves from God and they cannot be set right. They are right for themselves because they live according to their own selfish and limited logic; however, those around them should not delude themselves to think that they can set such people right. There has not yet been a young woman to set right a man who is off track, nor has there been a young man who has set right a woman who is off track. The only being that can set right the men and women who are off track is the mother. The art and science of setting one right who is off track is the sole domain of the mother. When can a mother do that? She cannot do this after she has given birth to her child, nor while she is pregnant, but she has to do it at least a hundred years before becoming a mother. You might say, “How can she find these children and how can she raise them if she cannot see them yet?” I will clarify my thought by using the following example: when a chemist describes the properties of some colourless and invisible gaseous substance people are not very likely to believe his words because they cannot see anything. This, however, does not mean in the least that the substance does not exist. Once he knows all of its properties, the chemist takes this substance and condenses it until it turns first into a liquid and then into a solid substance; then, once it is in this new state the substance becomes visible to all people and they can believe the chemist’s words. The same holds true about the children who have not yet been born, but who can still be influenced by their mother, nevertheless. Even though invisible they still exist in the form of the thoughts and desires that have been cherished by the mother in the distant past. All the mother needs to do is condense her thoughts and desires, and turn them into liquid and solid bodies until they become real and visible to all. “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” What can the thief steal? He can steal the most valuable thing in man, namely, man’s thoughts, feelings and desires. It is scary when a thief comes to you and steals your heart. What does a thief do when he wants to steal a man’s heart? He starts circling around this man and telling him that he is good, smart and beautiful, that there is no other like him, etc. If this man gives in to these flatteries he will lose his heart; later he will cry and he will be sorry that he has believed the words of this flatterer. There is a popular story about a rooster who found a piece of cheese and perched up on a tree to eat it in peace. A fox saw him from a distance, quickly trotted to the tree, sat down underneath it and started talking up to the rooster, saying, “You are such a beauty, my little rooster, I have never seen another one like you! And your voice is so melodious; I cannot get enough of your beautiful warble! Sing me a song, please, to fill me with happiness and joy.” Flattered by the fox’s words the rooster opened up his beak and started singing. The cheese fell down onto the ground, and the fox snatched it in its mouth and ran away; it did not even wait to listen to the rooster’s ringing song. Is this fox a friend of the rooster or is it a thief? There are many such thieves walking among people, too, but today they capture only the ones that rob the full moneybags, and not the ones who rob people’s hearts. The latter thieves are more dangerous because no one can see when and what they are stealing, and, as such, they are invisible thieves. Everywhere you go today- be it among scholars, or in the schools, in court houses, in churches- everywhere you will meet thieves who rob people but go by unnoticed. Do not look for the thief in your neighbour, but look at yourself and you will see that he is in you, too, and if you find it in yourself you should work on him to correct his ways. One should be honest with oneself and with one’s neighbours. You should correct yourselves first and then your neighbours. To do this you will need to live a pure and holy life; you will need to be a lit candle that brings everyone together. If your barn is full of wheat, then people will come to you one after another. The heart of the good man should be filled with good feelings and desires, his heart should be filled with bright and sublime thoughts, and his willpower should be applied to noble acts: this is what it means to be perfect. Nature has put a mark on specific places on the human body to show when one’s mind, heart and willpower are distorted: all these can be seen on one’s nose, mouth and chin. You may say that no one can see this. All of Heaven can see this and knows you: they know what thoughts, feelings and acts are important to you. The beings in Heaven, in the Wise world, observe you through people around you: this is what makes people look at each other from tip to toe. As soon as you meet someone you take a good look at him and think to yourself, “I want to see what God has written on this man’s chin, mouth and nose.” A man’s head is a book which recounts his whole Life. Just as you know a man by his house, so can you tell what thoughts he is preoccupied with by looking at his head, for man’s body is his house. Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” Who may have Life? Those who want to understand it and look into its inner meaning. Man should understand Life the way it is manifested today and not the way it was manifested two thousand years ago. The present-day Jesus is what matters to us, and not that Jesus who lived two thousand years ago. Someone might call this blasphemy. I am asking you this: what apple are you more interested in - the one that you have in your hand today or the one that grew in your garden some ten, fifteen years ago? Back then it used to bear fruit that was good for that time, but what is important now is the fruit that it bears today. Jesus of the present day is more important to us because He lives among many people, whereas two thousand years ago He lived only among the Jews. Back then He let himself be crucified, but today no one can crucify Him. Jesus was strong back then, too, but He sacrificed himself willingly. He said, “I am ready to sacrifice the form and content of things for their meaning.” Because people today are already looking for the meaning of Life and understand it, Jesus says, “Now I require of people to understand the content of Life, as well as the forms through which this content is expressed.” Back then Jesus wanted to turn people’s attention to the logic that lies behind the meaning of things; today he wants to turn their attention to the logic that lies behind the content of things. In the future He will create the logic of forms. Therefore, man becomes perfect when he combines in himself the three kinds of logic: the logic of the meaning of things, the logic of the content of things and the logic of their forms. A perfect man is like a lit candle that burns with white Light, i.e. it burns without soot and smoke. Whenever I meet someone who presents himself as being spiritual, I ask him, “Is your candle burning? Is it saving your neighbours? Is it setting their minds, hearts and willpowers right? Do you have a secret room, a temple, or a sanctuary inside you?” Whenever I hear someone call his father and mother feeble-minded or foolish I already know that such a person does not have a sanctuary in his soul. A father was once complaining to me about his sons, saying that after he had them well educated they would call him a simpleton and an ignorant person. He told me, “I am a simpleton and an ignorant person, indeed, but I realized that one needs education and made sure my sons received it.” On a different occasion a mother was complaining about her daughters and about how after they finished their education and became teachers they would turn around to call her a simpleton. She said, “If I were to become a mother again in the future, I would put my daughters at the loom and I would teach them to weave so that they can appreciate what they don’t have.” It will be good for your rude sons and daughters if you could give them each a hoe and send them out digging so that they can learn the logic of content. Someone may object that I am not speaking in the spirit of the Gospel. Which Gospel are you talking about: the written one or the unwritten one? Jesus said a lot and of all that He said very little was written down. Where does the rest of the Knowledge lie hidden? Bring me those books in which Christ’s Words are recorded, and we will see which one of us is right. Jesus said a lot and presented matters in their broader sense: where is all of this? He who abides by Christ’s teaching should be the first one to be a role model by demonstrating how one can use one’s mind, heart and willpower. The one, who can work with those, is someone who has achieved something great and wherever he enters he brings the Divine blessing with him. Not having achieved anything, people argue on and on; every time they meet they ask each other, “Are you of the right faith? Do you believe in God and in His trinity?” What does the word trinity mean? This word is abstract and hard to understand. Those who argue on this topic know neither God, nor His trinity. This is why Jesus said, “No one knows Father, but the Son of Man.” Religious people stand behind religion, and scientists stand behind science and every one is trying hard to bring out something new. The new is not in the form and content of things, but is in the three kinds of logic that pertains to the forms, to the content, and to the meaning of things. It is important that man should recreate his life according to the three kinds of logic so that he can enter the true and positive Life. Once he reorganizes his life man will have overcome the external conditions of his life and then there will be no external enemies for him, as well as no external thieves and bandits. Then man will cease warring with his neighbours and with those around him, for he will know that there are no enemies and thieves more dangerous than the ones that exist within him: those are the ones that crucified Jesus. What was Jesus accused of? He was accused of wanting to become a king, and of wanting to bring about reforms. Jesus was considered a political criminal for his time, as He opposed the rules and ways of the Roman Empire. Jesus was crucified, but what was left of the Roman Empire? Did it survive? People today need to think correctly by employing all three kinds of logic so that they do not repeat the mistakes of the previous generations. Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Those, who recognize Jesus and have Him in them, talk constantly about all the Good that He did for humankind; they say that He atoned for humankind, and that He gave up His Life for people. Merely stating what Jesus did is not enough; you must apply His Love to your Life, you must try it out. Mere talking without any application does not do any good for man. If that was the case then the drunkard who leaves his wife, children and home, and goes from one tavern to another searching for the best wine in town, deserves more respect. How many Christians have given up their comfort, all their goods and privileges with the only goal of trying out Jesus’ Love? How many Christians have tried Jesus’ good wine? You may object that I am not speaking in a holy manner. I will repeat this to you: do try the good wine, i.e. the Teaching of Christ, and you will be able to differentiate for yourself between the two kinds of wine: the physical wine inebriates and dazes man, whereas Jesus’ wine clarifies and refreshes you. The man, who partakes of Jesus’ wine will find himself connected to Love and will love people and all living beings; he will love and be loved. Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” This Life is already at work everywhere in the world, and among all living beings, both superior and lowly. Those, who are not in contact with Love, are still expecting the New Life to come from somewhere outside and above; they may wait forever, for this is not how the New Life will come. Where is Jesus’ Life? It is everywhere. Even if you look for it in the wheat grain or in the corn, you will be able to find It there; you will find It even in the animals if you were to look for It there. However, according to the law of similarities that states that similarities attract, every person will be able to use the kind of Life that is similar to this person, i.e. the Life that attracts him. Can two young people marry each other if they do not love each other; can a writer write a book if there isn’t some idea to inspire him? Man can attract to himself only the object that he loves. You cannot grow flowers unless you love them, for flowers have their own language that is known only to those people who love them. Do an experiment to test the validity of my words: take a pot and plant a carnation or some other flower, then start watering it, weeding it and growing it with Love. You will notice that this flower will have a wonderful aroma when it blooms. If you stop taking care of the flower it will stop giving off such a pleasant aroma. This is the flower’s way to tell you that it will return to you as much love as you give it. Old-time Bulgarians knew this law and applied it to their lives: they would cultivate their fields with Love, and they would seed and grow their wheat with Love, and that is why they would enjoy such bounty. Someone who does not know the reason for all this bounty would think that this farmer is a sorcerer; he is no sorcerer, but someone who applies Jesus’ Teaching and is ready to give up his life for his field. Consequently, the field reciprocates with the same: it produces a bountiful yield. You should do the same: invest your good thoughts and feelings into your neighbours so that they may evolve and become nobler. What do we see in the world today? The relationships among people are typically based on some interest. It is rare to meet someone who can love truly: most people love someone either for his knowledge, or for his riches, or for his status in society. If someone tells you that he loves you, ask him why he loves you; in any case, you will be able to know that he loves you either for your knowledge, for your riches or for your looks, for if you lose these qualities, his love will disappear, too. Therefore, you should love man for the essential man in him, who is but a ray radiating out of God. If you find the real man, you will be able to love him regardless of his external qualities: he will be your brother and your sister. The world will become a better place when people start loving each other like that. And then the verse that says, “I have come that they may have life” takes on a new meaning: Jesus came to give Life to the poor, to the suffering and to the wronged, because they have the right conditions to manifest the essential man. God says, “I will remove from them their heart of stone and I will give them a new heart, in which I will write My law, and they will know Me.” Today the new heart is being made: God is collecting the blood from the battlefields and is using it to write down His law into the New heart. What does this war today represent? It is judgment day for mankind; in other words, today all people are being judged, but not in Heaven like they expected, but on Earth. Some religious people think that man lives on Earth for a certain time, after which he dies and goes up to Heaven, where he stands before God’s court to be judged. Man’s judgment is on Earth and so there is no need for him to come out of his grave where he has been locked up and to go to God for judgment. Man is locked up in his body, i.e. even while on Earth he is already in prison and will be judged here. What should a man do to improve his Life? He should open up the windows of his house, i.e. his consciousness needs to be awakened. If his windows are narrow, he should widen them, for man needs more Light. In other words, broaden your thinking, and open up your mind to let more Light in. People today have many ideas, beliefs and convictions, but they need to broaden those by putting on big, wide windows. Big windows can let in both a lot of light and very little light, whereas narrow windows only let in little light; big ideas encompass small ideas, but small ideas exclude big ideas, for there is no room for those. It is time now to widely open up the windows of all churches, schools, homes, and courthouses. It is time now to set correct and truthful relations between the human soul and God, between priests and their congregations, between teachers and their students, between men and women. It is time now to let more Light into everybody’s minds and hearts, just like Light is emanating from their souls, illuminating them. I wish you that you may open up the Bible and the Gospel of your mind and your heart and that you may start reading in them everything that God wrote thousands of ages ago. Jesus says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” What does this thief want to steal? He wants to steal your candle. Once he has stolen it you will be left in darkness, but one cannot read in darkness. There are many who live in darkness, saying, “This is how it was meant to be; there is nothing we can do about it, so we will have to resign ourselves to the way it is.” This is the way Turks understand things; they say, “Put seven layers on top of it, and seven layers on the bottom and do not even think about it, for this is how God has made it.” This is incorrect logic; one should not think that way. God did not create the wolves, the bears, the foxes and the bad people: He created the good and reasoning people. Do not think that everything which exists was made by God: God allowed for the existence of evil, but He did not create it. When you meet someone who wants to be close with you, first ask yourself what kind of people he belongs to: the ones whom God made of soil, or the ones whom He made after Himself. Present-day people were made of soil: their culture is the culture of soil, and of mud. God took some soil and made man out of it, breathed into him and he turned into a living soul. God put Life into man, so that he can live and learn, and understand that Life has a deeper meaning than what he can imagine. By talking about the thief Jesus wants to protect humankind from him, for everyone can look at oneself and realize that evil is in himself, and in his distorted views. Therefore, if you want people to be cultured, and if you want to be cultured yourself, you need to apply Christ’s Teaching, the Teaching of Love. If you have a child that is stubborn and willful, you should try an experiment on him: apply the method of Love with this child. Start loving this child and don’t ever think of his negative features; instead, try to think that this child is good and reasonable and you will see that after a while your child will improve. A story has it that one day Archangel Gabriel noticed that every morning God smiled down to someone and talked to this one softly and lovingly. Gabriel was intrigued by God’s behaviour: he wanted to see the soul towards which God would pour so much gentleness and Love. He set out on a journey around the world to look for this soul. During his journey Gabriel visited many scientists, preachers, and priests, but could not find this soul anywhere. Then he went back up to Heaven to look for this soul from up there. As he still could not find it, he finally went back down to Earth one more time, determined to go to all the remote places around the world. One day he found himself at a primitive shrine where he saw an idol worshipper- a simple and wild man- who was bowing before his idol, and was talking to it. It was here that Gabriel found God who was smiling at the idol worshipper and was talking softly to him. At this moment Archangel Gabriel realized that the form of his logic was wrong. He thought that God could only be smiling to some scientist, or to some spiritual or holy person, and he didn’t even think that God could be smiling to someone who was so simple that he did not have a true idea about God. There is a Bulgarian proverb, which states, “God looks not at your face, but at your heart.” Religious people today, who belong to various churches[A1] (Eastern Orthodox, Evangelical, Catholic, Buddhist), consider themselves to be of the true faith. It does not even occur to them that there are people outside of their churches[A2] , to whom God speaks softly and lovingly. Why? Because those people’s thoughts and feelings are right, and their soul aspires towards God. Man’s situation is defined by his soul’s aspirations, for it is the aspirations that determine the way God will look at this man. If God looks benevolently on people, they will be saved. God will talk softly and lovingly to that person, who has the right aspirations. Now I wish that all Bulgarians may have the aspirations of that idol worshipper at the primitive shrine, so that God may speak to them softly and with Love. You might say that the idol worshipper had wrong concepts; his concepts might be wrong, but his aspirations are right. Rejoice if your concepts are wrong and you have delusions, because God has decided to be soft with and benevolent to all who are weak, lame, mute, suffering, wronged, lost and so on. God is God of the orphans, of the poor, of the widows, of the suffering, and not God of the rich, the full-bellied, and the dignitaries. Once God used to be God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, but now he is God of the poor, of the suffering, and of the widows. God says, “My servants did not do their work on Earth properly. Now I am going down to Earth Myself to finish My work: to make this world a better place.” This world will become a better place, because God is already working in it. He is coming down to Earth to give Life to everyone, so that they will accept and apply His teaching, and so that they may do that not for their own sake, but for the sake of all humankind. Some may say that they are poor, lame, blind: do not be afraid, for God is coming for your sake. Is God not coming for the sake of the rich, as well? He is not coming for their sake, because they do not need Him. He will turn to all lame, crippled, and blind, saying, “Work as hard as you can, all of you, so that you may learn My teaching, and so that you may become healthy, strong and rich. My Teaching is like a laden table, full of tasty dishes.” Partake of all of God’s blessings, be merry and rejoice! I wish you all to open your ears, to listen, and to apply God’s Word. Those, who have not done their work well, need to finish it. When they turn to God, then God will teach them how to live and how to understand His words. The judgment of the world is upon us: God is coming down to Earth to judge people and to give everyone their worth. If someone has lost an eye, God will order a new eye to be put in; if someone has lost a leg, God will order a new leg to be put on; if someone has lost an arm, God will order a new, healthy arm to be put on. A judge’s verdict can be fair and well-deserved, but God’s verdict is even more just and reasonable. God will satisfy all and will provide them with conditions to evolve correctly in their mind, in their heart and in their soul. You should aspire for this God. Many ask where God is, and not being able to find Him, they ask for proof that He exists. No matter what proof you receive, you will find yourself in a ridiculous situation, for it will be like lighting a candle in broad daylight when the Sun is shining, and then pointing the candle towards the Sun, saying, “There, you can see the Sun.” It is ridiculous to have to prove to someone that God exists. If someone wants me to convince him I will take him by the hand and I will tell him, “Come with me, open your eyes and look, open your ears and listen!” Your aspirations and your rightful concepts, your Life, and your movement are all due to God. He is the One speaking in you, and moving you, and so then, look for Him inside you, not outside of you. He says, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Therefore, look for the One who gives Life, and not for the one who comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I wish you all to go deeply into yourself and to turn to God, Who is in you; I wish you to be able to understand Him, and to know Him. It is only then that you will understand to differentiate between the logic of form, of content and of meaning. Jesus pointed out to you the logic of meaning; now you are to study the logic of content, and in the future, you will study the logic of forms. Today you will interpret things according to their content, and in the future according to their forms. May 6, 1917 Sofia __________________________________ [A1]Churches are only of the Christian faith, as you have Buddhist here you should write [various religions] [A2]Same as above [religion or faith]
  7. The Will of God “He who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 The phrases, the Will of God or the Will of the Father are classic ones. However, the phrase the Will of God brings out a smirk on the faces of contemporary people: why so? This is so, because people are not sure if God exists or not. The world has a twofold manifestation: it has a conscious and an unconscious manifestation. We are in the unconscious world when we deal with the chaotic state of the world, of the matter, of the forces, and of the laws which are at work in the world. This unconscious world is one with no laws, or even if there are any laws, then they are mechanistic, irrational ones. When Christ says that not everyone who calls out, “Lord, Lord” will enter the Kingdom of God, we should know that He has in mind the well-formed, conscious world, which is one of law and order. Therefore, only the one, who does the Divine Will, can enter the conscious world. The Divine Will is linked to the sensible side in man, for only the sensible one is able to do the Will of God. In the physical world this Will is expressed through the law of necessity, i.e. through the mechanistic laws. The motion of the wheel in factory machines is a mechanistic one: man cannot counteract it. Once this wheel is set in motion no one can stop it, unless someone pushes the button that operates it; you can pray to it as much as you want, but praying has no effect on it. If you get caught in the wheel, you will be spun around it and crushed, for the wheel is subject to the law of necessity, which is a mechanistic law, and there is no Intelligence in this law. This is why all those people who only serve their own will view the world as a sum total of coincidences. The word coincidence means to them a world of chaos, i.e. a world that has no relation to man’s personal life. Just like the factory wheel has no relation to man, so the mechanistic laws in the world have no relation to man. When speaking of doing the Will of God what I have in mind is the Intelligent life that does have relation to man. There are intelligent and conscious laws that are at work in this Life. When we speak of culture, and of Virtues, and of law and order in the world, we have the Intelligent will in mind, i.e. the Will of God, which penetrates the consciousness of individuals, societies and nations alike as long as they are in unison with this Will. I am not talking about the individual will, because God’s Will is above all. Jesus says, “He, who does not fulfill God’s Will, cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” Only the one whose higher consciousness is awakened is someone who can fulfill God’s Will; only the one who has the feelings and abilities necessary to perceive the essence of things is someone who can fulfill God’s Will. When a student studies mathematics he needs to have an understanding of the mathematical relations between the numbers and the mathematical procedures that are done with the use of these numbers. Every formula that is applied in mathematics is, in fact, a living construct, not an inanimate one as it might appear to be. A seed that has not been planted appears to be dead, lifeless; however, as soon as it is placed in the ground it manifests its life. It is the favorable conditions that make it possible for the Intelligent life to manifest itself in every being. In this sense, every person can be regarded as a seed awaiting the favorable conditions to sprout. It is not important what kind of a seed the human being is (the human being may be a seed from an apple, or a pear, a vine, a rose, etc.); what matters is that as a living being man is also a sentient being. Overall, all people who have sweetness in them are intelligent and conscious; those who have bitterness in them are unintelligent and unconscious. The bitterness in people must be transformed into sweetness the same way the bitter, sour and tart juices in the fruits gradually turn sweeter. Man must transform his bitterness into sweetness through internal means. Therefore, when someone says that his life is hard and unbearable, he should know that the bitter juices prevail in him. Such a man should expose himself to the Divine light more often so that his fruit can ripen and the bitter juices can turn sweeter. It is only then that man will enter the Conscious life and will become a citizen of the Kingdom of God; then there will be nothing impossible for him. In studying man philosophers dwell on man’s three basic elements: mind, heart and willpower. The will is an expression of the internal harmony between the mind and the heart, and so the will expresses a certain principle that connects two opposite forces- those of the mind and of the heart- by having them work in one reasonable direction. It is through the willpower, assisted by the mind and the heart, that man can bring out his ability to transform the inferior in him into superior, and the crude into something noble. The human culture stems precisely from both the individual and the collective human will. Whether it is the collective or the individual consciousness that is at work, it is still one and the same law that governs it. In Bulgarian the word will (воля, pronounced “volja”) is made of four letters. The first letter, В is made of a vertical line and two semicircles. The circle represents the Divine life, which is connected to the vertical line, the latter being the direction in which we should be moving, i.e. upwards, towards the head. Many question the existence of God by saying: Where is He? God is where man’s head is. He who has a head on his shoulders cannot deny God’s existence; if he has no head, he can deny everything. If there were no other force counteracting the earth’s gravity, man would have been turned upside down. It is due to this other force that man’s head points upward, towards the center of the Sun; it is due to this other force that man can walk erect. Knowing this, make sure you keep your head clean: nourish it with clean air and Light, as well as with pure thoughts and desires. Do not import into your mind any thoughts that bring disturbance and doubt. Everyone is afraid of the war and everyone wishes that it would end as soon as possible. What causes this war? It is due to the failure to do the Will of God. What caused the fall of Nineveh? Nineveh was once a highly evolved cultural center, but its citizens lived a bad life, and would not do God’s Will, thus dooming themselves to perish. Likewise, Assyria and Babylon were centers of culture, but they also perished. There is a certain similarity between the culture of the people of Assyria and Babylon and the culture of people today. Those people used to know a lot of things, they knew the elements and their properties but they abused their knowledge by using it in a bad way. They would start wars and kill each other- people today do the same thing. It was for this reason that the old peoples perished, and it was for this reason that their Power and Knowledge was taken away from them. If the nations today follow the same way they, too, will disappear; if the European nations do not come to their senses they are facing the same fate that befell Nineveh. Those who disobey the Will of God deprive themselves of His blessing. Just like men rid their organism of impure substances through sweating so will God rid His organism of all men and peoples of this modern culture who do not do His Will. This is a Divine law; it is an intelligent one that regulates Life. What will happen to us? Nothing bad will happen to you: those who live in the Divine world should not be afraid. Think right and do not fear anything. Sometimes you say, “Nothing depends on me.” I say that much depends on you. If you were to place even one single grain of wheat on one of the trays of a scale that has been balanced with equal weights, then that single grain would affect the scales. Who knows, you might be that last person whose presence could turn the motion of the Divine wheel into a different direction. And still all people keep thinking that it is God Who has to come down to Earth to set this world right. It is true that God will set the world right, but He will do this through people. When it comes to setting the world right, man is directly concerned whereas God is concerned indirectly. The world was created for man to learn in it, to discipline himself and to entertain himself. God is interested in us as much as we are mindful in studying and observing God’s laws. The day when we break our relationship with God, the Original Reason of all things, will be the day when God will stop taking interest in us. Man is free to choose whether to do or not to do God’s Will, but he will also bear the consequences of his free and foolish will. The prophet Jonah is an case in point of someone who does not do God’s Will: God sent him to Nineveh to preach repentance to its inhabitants, but he declined under the pretext that God would extend His Compassion to them and He would pardon their sins, thus making Jonah look like a foolish liar. Jonah said, “I don’t want to subject myself to the ridicule and mockery of these cultured people, Oh Lord. I will preach Your words to them, then You will forgive them and in the end it will look like I’ve been lying to them. I know You, Lord: You are merciful and kind.” Jonah bought a ticket to Joppa planning to reach the city of Tarshish, where he boarded a ship and set out to sea. What happened on the way? A storm arose in the sea and the sailors decided to propitiate it by throwing Jonah over board. The city of Nineveh lay on the bank of the Tigris river; it was a beautiful city and its culture was like the present-day culture. Back then the population of Nineveh was about one million people, of which there were no less than about a hundred and twenty thousand children- all of them so innocent and so young that they weren’t even old enough to distinguish between their left hand and their right one. When the citizens of Nineveh repented and pleaded to God for mercy, it was because of the little children that He withheld His punishment. What do the ship and the sea represent? The ship represents organized society, and the sea represents the world and its deeds. Jonah fled from God and hid away from Him in the ship, i.e. in one organized society, among cultured people, who, lost in drinking and eating, tend to forget all about God and say, “We are our own masters and no one can tell us what to do.” But the sea, i.e. the world, becomes stormy and the ship starts swaying from one side to another. Man becomes agitated along with the storminess of the sea, and loses his influence among the members of his society. In breaking his connection with God man also loses his mental and moral powers and starts to grow old; people then start treating him with disregard and turn away to younger, more capable people. This is the situation that Jonah put himself in when he went aboard that ship and set off to sea, i.e. to the world; it was because he did not know the law of Light that his journey took such a fatal turn. In order to pacify the storm, the sailors decided to throw Jonah into the sea where he was swallowed by a whale. Jonah could not swim and so he fell into the whale’s mouth: the whale represents death, and death swallows all those who do not do God’s will. Jonah spent three whole days in the belly of the whale, all the way praying from the bottom of his heart. He prayed thus, “Please, God, save me from the mouth of the whale, i.e. from the mouth of death, so that I shall do Your will.” God listened to his plea and asked the whale to spit Jonah out onto the shore. Thus saved, Jonah went back to Nineveh to do God’s will, and there he preached repentance to the people. What happened to Jonah also happens to every person: man goes on board the ship and because he refuses to do God’s will, he ends up in the sea. The only thing that can save you is to pray to God from the bottom of your heart like Jonah did. You may object by saying that one should live a little. However, it is after you find yourselves in the belly of the whale that you will learn about life; in other words, once you are in the grave, then you will learn about life, for man retains his consciousness even there and he goes through great suffering and great tribulations until he frees himself from his body. Man’s link to this world may consist of one, or of many or even of thousand strong fibers, and it is not easy to sever those. The righteous man is linked with only one fiber and he can break it very easily; the sinner is linked with multiple fibers and cannot set himself loose easily. The soul and the Spirit are in a difficult situation while the fibers of the body are being broken. What helps break these fibers? What helps is man’s doing God’s will. Every fiber is like an atom that acts on the matter, molding and transforming it; therefore, these fibers have their place. If you cannot set these fibers in motion so that they can turn the wheel of Life you will be like a factory that has ceased working a long time ago: such a factory is doomed to bankruptcy. If the fibers that are at work in the stomach stop working man grows alarmed: he sends for the doctor right away so that the doctor can restore the activity of the million fibers working in the man’s stomach. If you were seers you would be able to see that the whole world is constructed of interwoven fibers like a spider web. Only this is no spider web, but different ways through which God works, as well as different ways through which one can do God’s will. Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” This verse pertained to people back then, but it also pertains to people who live today, two thousand years after Jesus lived. Back then they were in an embryonic stage, they were like a seed, but Jesus spoke to the seeds, too. He wanted to warn them that one day- even if that day is two thousand years away- one day when they find themselves in a difficult situation, going through trials and suffering they will need to know how to do the Will of their Father if they are to rise out of this chaos and keep on evolving. Who is our Father? You read about Esau who addressed the people of Israel, saying, “Israel, know thy Master!” Israel, however, turned away from its Master, its Father, its God. Philosophers often ponder the question of what came first: the chicken or the egg. There are two opinions on this matter: some say that the chicken came first, and others maintain that it was the egg that came first. I think that the first opinion is more plausible. To pose this question is to ask what came first: the cause or the effect. The cause came first and then came the effect; therefore, the chicken is the cause, and the egg is the effect. The word chicken implies an old person, i.e. the lowly human mind. The dove is the symbol of the evolved human mind. Through his evolved, superior mind man can do God’s will, because this mind is the greatest gift, the greatest good that has been given to man. Now that you know this you should always strive to keep your mind pure to save it from corruption. The smallest rust that penetrates into the mind can corrupt it. He, who has corrupted his mind, is lost for Life; he might still be alive physically, but he cannot benefit from Life, for the great Light cannot enter his mind. Jesus says, “If you do not want to lose the meaning of Life and lose Life itself, you should do the Will of God.” What sums up the Will of our Great Father? One of His laws states, “Do not do unto others what you do not want done unto yourself.” The word law means that which has been manifested into the world in a certain form; in other words, laws are nothing but different forms through which God’s Will can be fulfilled. According to the occultists only the one who is able to fulfill God’s will, the one who has been able to manifest his intelligent will, can be his own master, as well as a master over Nature and those around him. He who connects with God becomes one with Him and is free to claim that the development and the evolution of the whole mankind is his own development, too, and that the wellbeing of all people is his own wellbeing, too. The opposite is also true: such a man’s success is success for the whole mankind, and his wellbeing is wellbeing for the whole. This necessitates a correct relationship between the human soul and God. Then God will want to convey to us all Knowledge, and all blessing that He has in Him; He says, “My grace is your grace and your grace is Mine.” This is the true relationship between the Great Father and His children. How can one tell when there is a correct relationship between the human soul and God? There is something that everyone can use as a test. Imagine that someone falls seriously ill: such a person should try to connect with God. All he needs to do is turn to Him with a heartfelt prayer, and he will have a response. Every time you have a response to your prayers shows that you are connected with God and He listens to you. Say this, “Lord, help me through my hard times; help me rid myself of this illness so that I can serve You in Joy. I want to dedicate my Life to serving Love and doing Your Will.” If you pray with these words, you will receive an immediate response: your temperature will go down, your condition will improve and, in a few days, you will be completely healthy. People today expect to have great results without doing the Will of the Great Father, but this is impossible. Such a life is a mechanistic one and it cannot bring man satisfaction, and for this reason man is dissatisfied with Life. Under these circumstances, instead of ridding himself of illnesses, one becomes even more ill. There was once a German doctor who was interested in nervous system disorders, and studied about four hundred different manifestations of nervous system disorders. He gave them all different names, but when he came across the four hundred and first manifestation he could not think of a name for it, and so for everything that was above the number four hundred he termed with the common word americanichi. What causes nervous system disorders? Men’s sinful life causes them. Someone who is a neurasthenic is in a situation where his nervous energy is constantly drained out of him, and he becomes deficient. You come across people who live well and treat their bodies well, but are neurasthenics: this is because they carry out the consequences of their ancestors’ bad lives. A pauper wants to know what he can do in order to get rich and to set in order his muddle of debts: the only way for him to improve his situation is through mindful work. A sick man wants to know how he can restore his health: health is related to Mindful living: by living mindfully and doing God’s the sick one will soon be able to restore his health. Religion comes to help the one who wants to learn how to live mindfully. Being religious is not only about going to church, and listening to sermons and beautiful music, but is mostly about following through with what you’ve learned. The Good needs to become a part of man’s whole being and must penetrate into the Life of all people: from the king to the shepherd, and from the richest home to the poorest one. All people should have equal rights and obligations. What do we see in societies today? We see that all men, all societies and all peoples strive to become rich, strong and powerful. This is a good goal, but it is not well applied in practice. When one becomes rich he starts thinking only about oneself; when one becomes strong he starts abusing the weak and the poor; when one acquires power, one starts ruling over those around him. Don’t you know that God helps the weak, the poor and the suffering? Therefore you should strive to be like Him: if you are rich, you should help the poor; if you are strong, you should protect the weak; if you have power, you should rule over yourself first. He who can rule over himself can also rule over others. Knowing this, do not turn away from any opportunity to help the weak, the poor, the suffering, the short-witted, etc. Today someone may pass as an idiot, but some day God will lift him up from that state and will make him a philosopher: this is why it is said that what is impossible for man is possible for God. God is all-powerful: He can transform the caterpillar into a butterfly, and the butterfly into a caterpillar. Once you used to be butterflies, but today you are caterpillars. You should not take offense when I say this. When I say caterpillar I mean it as a symbol for the materialistic understanding of Life. Once up on the leaf, the caterpillar thinks, “I should eat as much as I wish, for if I eat a lot I will grow up fast; if I eat a little, I will remain little.” This reasoning holds true for the stage at which this caterpillar is; but there will come a day when it will lose its desire to eat leaves and those around it will say that the caterpillar’s stomach is upset and it cannot use food any more. It is not that the stomach is upset, but the caterpillar is passing into a different stage- that of a butterfly- and in that new stage it does not need leaves or medicines to treat its stomach. Before it reaches the butterfly stage, the caterpillar weaves little threads back and forth until it makes up its cocoon, and then it spends some time into this cocoon with no food or movement. After a while the caterpillar breaks the cocoon open and emerges back into the world, but this time as a butterfly, equipped with its own proboscis, and it sets out from one flower to another, sucking sweet nectar from the blossoms. Some sick people do not ingest any food during the whole time of their illness: why do they do that? They are like butterflies, passing from one state into another, and they do not need any food during that period. Those, who do not understand this situation, start to worry and look for a doctor to help. If someone is not eating, this does not mean that he is sick, for there are people who can tolerate hunger, difficulties and temptations and are still stronger than those who eat, and who avoid all difficulties and temptations. It is the difficulties, the temptations and the sufferings that temper one’s character. Sometimes a man would pass as an honest person, but he has never been tested. One can judge one’s honestly only after he’s been tested: if one is bribed with a thousand leva to do some dishonest deed, he may turn down the money under the pretext that he is an honest man; if he is then given ten thousand leva, he may still decline the bribe, but once he is given one hundred thousand leva, he may close his eyes and sell himself. So, someone is honest up to a thousand leva, another is honest up to ten thousand leva and someone else is honest up to a hundred thousand leva: not one of these people is truly honest. True Virtues are not relative, but are absolute in their expression. Once a Frenchman was bribed with one million dollars to commit a crime; when he was put before the judge, he said, “Your Honor, you have no right to sentence me, because what I did was simply carry out a sale: I sold myself for one million leva.” Jesus came down to Earth specifically for those sold-out people: He came down to pay for them. They have sold themselves to the dark powers and they cannot buy themselves back. When Jesus comes across someone who has sold himself, Jesus asks him, “Whom did you sell yourself to and for how much?” “For one million.” “Well then, I will pay it back for you.” Almost all people today have sold themselves to someone. If you doubt this you should ask yourselves where your mother, father and children are. You may say that they have died. What is death? Death is but a sale. In this sense, dying means selling. Is a hen that lives in its master’s coop a free hen? There will come a night when its master will thrust his hand into the coop, grab the hen and put the knife to its neck: the hen will cluck once or twice and that will be the end of that. You go through the same process: there comes a night when your master comes to you, grabs you by the neck, puts the knife to your neck and it’s all over with you. The priest will come next to pray for the peace of your soul. How will your soul obtain peace from God? By doing His Will. You say that death is frightening, but it is only frightening when man does not do God’s Will, for then man rots and starts to smell. If man does God’s Will then when he is ready to pass to the other world, he will simply take off his old garment and will sever his connection with it: therefore, the cure against rotting is in doing God’s Will. You should do an experiment to test the truthfulness of my words. Why does man, after coming to this Earth, not do the Will of the One, who has sent him down to study and work among people? You might object that if you do experiments you test God. Are you not testing God when you sin? When people hear about studying and working they say that they are unable to fight the evil and the devil in the world. The kingdom of evil and the devil is over. Today Jesus is coming into the world, accompanied by evolved Beings of light, and by Good Spirits. Once they come the world will become right again, and all people will be healthy and full of energy. The churches will be filled with true worshippers and servants of God. Then Jesus will ask them, “What are you doing”, and all believers and religious people will reply that they are trying to turn everybody in the world to God. The thief, too, once he gets a hold of your purse will turn it inside out: no, the world does not need to be turned like that. You need to be filled with power and joy if you are to set a good example for the world: even in your suffering you should still be filled with joy. This is what it means to do God’s will: it means to live with no fear of death. Death does not exist for the one who is connected with the living God, for he can hear God’s voice and does His Will. If such a man makes a mistake he immediately hears inside of him God’s soft voice, telling him, “You are not doing a good thing. Correct your mistake!” The one who rejects this voice and refuses to listen to it will bear the consequences of his actions. Listen to God when He speaks to you with Love like a father; should you not listen, He would distance Himself from you and you will be at the mercy of the law. Man should have the courage of that American woman who dedicated herself to her beloved one who came back maimed from the battlefield. He went to the battlefield to fight for his country, but he was wounded in a big fight and lost one of his legs. He wrote to the woman he loved, “I lost one of my legs. I don’t want you to suffer with me, so feel free to find yourself someone strong and healthy to love.” She responded, “I accept you the way you are.” In fact he was wounded much worse than he told her at first, but he did could not confess to her all at once about how bad his situation was. After a while he wrote another letter, “I lost my other leg, too.” “I accept you with much greater Love”, she replied. Finally, he wrote to her, “I am like a corpse, for I lost both my arms.” “Now my Love for you is even greater”, the woman wrote back. How many men and women could remain loyal in such a situation; how many people could pass such a test? It is very rare to come across people who are ready to serve each other with Love and patience if one of them falls ill and is bedridden for a few years. There was a Bulgarian woman who took care of her ill husband for twenty years and she would always say, “Not for a single moment have I grown tired of helping him.” “How come?” “Because I love him.” This Bulgarian woman, like the American woman from the previous story carried the Divine inside: they carried Love. One cannot enter the Kingdom of God if one’s heart is not filled with Love. As long as man thinks only about eating, drinking, wearing nice clothes, having fun and being rich he will never get to know Love; such a man’s heart will remain empty and his mind- encumbered. Why wouldn’t man open his mind, heart and soul to the great in the world so as to be filled with God’s Love? Why wouldn’t he enter this great world of suns and planets? Today Jesus appeals to people’s souls, saying, “Fulfill God’s will and you will become masters of your mind, of your heart and of your soul.” How can we achieve that? By turning the letter K on its back with the two sticks pointing up: in this position it represents the boat of human life. Set your boat out in the sea, put up the sails and sail freely; grasp the rudder with your hands and head out into whatever direction you wish. If you are nervously agitated, you can turn your K with the sticks pointing down and start swimming. All people-men and women- suffering from nervous agitation should go to the front to feel renewed. God likes those who are brave and selfless. One cannot love someone who is fearful or someone who is cold as ice. Only the one who carries Love inside him and spreads it generously around can be loved. If you do not give you cannot receive either. All people, all families, all societies, and all peoples need to be revitalized. Bulgarians, as a people, also need to be revitalized. It is up to them if they will listen to me or not, but it is my duty to tell them the Truth. When I say it I will go away. Where will I go? I will start from the tree roots and will gradually make my way up along the trunk and towards the blossoms, the fruit, the seed, then to the Angel world, and finally to the Divine world, which is my final destination. You might say that I’m going too far. The divine world is not far from people, but it is rich and full of energy: those who go there will acquire a lot of energy and wealth. I, too, go there to acquire more energy so that I am able to come back to people again to work among them and to help them. It is a pleasure for man to work among people and for the people. It does not matter if they will understand him or not, or if they are rich or poor. Does the child understand its mother who feeds it, bathes it, raises it, and disciplines it? The child does not understand its mother while it is little, but one day it will grow up and then it will be able to understand her. The intelligent one understands things and is grateful for everything that he has been given as well as for everything that people do for him. As the child grows older God gives it His blessing and gives it light to become an intelligent person who can have a correct understanding of Life. I wish you that you may be good, mindful and just, so when I meet you I can be happy to see people that I can talk to and with whom I can share my thoughts and wishes. There is no greater good for man than that to meet good and intelligent people with whom he can get along well? When I say things like this some of you wonder what I am planning to do. I am planning to do one of the two: either Good or bad; I am planning either to speak the Truth to you or to hide the Truth from you. If I choose to hide the Truth this shows that I live in a world of chaos; if I speak the Truth that shows that I live in accordance with God’s will. What will one gain from choosing to lie and to do evil? Not only will such a man win nothing, but he will lose everything and will bring ruin onto himself. What is a lie like? A lie is the shadow of Truth, it is the shadow of all Being: a lie is like fake precious stones. Once there was a merchant coming from Malaysia with a bag full of precious stones that he was selling for cheap. A Jew, who was also a merchant, wanted to buy all the stones, but he did not think he could afford it. However, the merchant with the precious stones told the Jew, “My friend, I will sell you this whole bag for ten thousand leva. I have smuggled all of them and that is why I am selling them to you for so cheap: I want to get rid of them so I don’t get myself in trouble.” The Jew thought that this was his lucky moment and, not wanting to miss this opportunity, he decided to buy all of the precious stones. When he went home and looked through the bag he realized that he had been cheated: only a few stones were real precious stones, the rest of them were all fake ones. Today there are many people who carry around bags full of fake precious stones that they present as real precious stones. In the end both they and all those around them realize that they have been fooling themselves. Their knowledge is false, too: they think that their bags are full of real Knowledge, but some day they come to realize that they have been fooling themselves. What good is man’s knowledge if he cannot use it to stop the falling of bombs? A scientist goes to the battlefield, but he, too, runs to hide away from the bombs; what good is his knowledge then if he cannot use it to stop the bombs from falling? You might say that only God has the power to stop the bombs. He who lives in accordance with God and fulfills His Will, is able to stop the bombs, for if they can listen to God, they will listen to you, too. Some people wait for the Pope to say his word to bring peace. Do not wait for anyone, but turn to God and say, “Lord, You are our Father, You can stop the war.” When you recognize God as your Father He will listen to your voice and come to your help. You do not believe in your own power and you think that man cannot do anything about these huge events that are taking place around him. He who does God’s Will can do anything. If all people- Bulgarian, Russian, French, English, German- were to turn their voice to God the war would end and peace would come. Why do people wage wars? People wage wars over nothing: they fight over some trade deals. There is one thing that all people and nations should know: the world is not some anarchy; on the contrary, it is an intelligent world, and God has sent all people into it so that they might live and work mindfully and help each other like brothers. God sent Jesus, His Only Son, down to the world to show people how to live. It is time now to put Christ’s teaching to practice and to put an end to all arguments and misunderstandings. May all mothers, fathers, children, rulers, priests, teachers, and workers be filled with the desire to fulfill God’s will and to enter God’s Kingdom as its citizens and then the peace will come. The New Culture that is coming will lay the foundation for the fulfillment of God’s Will. When this New Culture is applied then people will understand what the present-day culture is like: they will wonder themselves how they could live this way and how they could allow for wars and destroying each other to take place. However, considering the current stage of development of mankind, war is an inevitable process, for it represents man’s passing from one stage into another, just like the caterpillar is inevitably transformed into a butterfly. There is no force in the world that could stop this process, therefore there is no force in the world that could stop the war: the war will continue for as long as it takes for man to pass from the caterpillar stage into the butterfly stage. How will the people of the New Culture be different from people today? They will have a strong willpower, and they will be good and mindful. Nothing will be impossible for such people: they will be able to achieve anything they want. This is why Jesus says, “Not anyone who cries, Lord, Lord will enter the Heavenly Kingdom, but only the one who does God’s Will shall enter”. Do the following experiment: tell yourselves in the course of one month that you are willing to do God’s Will and you will see that the One Who has created you will manifest Himself. He will enlighten your mind and your heart so that you could understand Life and fulfill His Will. Everyone should do this experiment on his own and by his own will, with no pressure from outside, for only in this way can one expect results. The Scriptures say, “The time is coming and it is upon us now when the true worshippers will worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.” I say, the time is coming and it is upon us now when the future people will fulfill God’s Will and will be healthy in their mind, heart and body, and whatever they say, they will act upon. They will not need loans and guarantors to vouch for those loans like people do today, for their word will be like a law, because it will be coming out of God’s mouth, and God will be their real guarantor. The world will become a better place when all people, societies and nations, as well as the whole of mankind have God as their guarantor. Doing God’s Will with Love should be every man’s motto; this should be the religion that every man should use as guidance in his Life: Bulgarians should live this way too. And then one day when I see you I will be able to say, “You are fortunate to be doing God’s Will and to have God as your guarantor.” Now go to your homes with the idea of doing God’s Will, and with the idea of living without any man-made bills and guarantors. May God be your guarantor and may His Force be within you. Sofia, April 22, 1917 Source
  8. Jacob and Esau “He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” Genesis 28:12 Jacob and Esau: this is an interesting topic for discussion. Anyone who has read the Bible knows of these two characters. Jacob and Esau were two brothers: Jacob was the younger one and Esau was the older one. The age difference between them was small, for they were born only a few hours apart. There are seven characters that can be outlined in the story of Jacob and Esau. According to the prophecy, Jacob and Esau would become two different nations, of which the elder would serve the younger. Jacob and Esau jostled each other within their mother’s womb, thus causing her great discomfort. The story has it that Esau was the first one to come out, followed by Jacob whose hand was grasping onto his brother’s heel. They were very different in appearance: Esau was hairy while Jacob’s skin was smooth. In other words, Esau was manly while Jacob was feminine. From a physiological standpoint, Esau is a man of nature: he is straightforward, candid, and impulsive; he lives from day to day and does not value Life. He represents a lower culture. There are many people who are like Esau. After a good meal these people say, “Thank you, Lord, for giving us food. Tomorrow you will take care of us again.” They express thankfulness only in regard to their food. Jacob is feminine, but also bold, at the same time. He has some negative traits: he is cunning and deceptive. Jacob is like those moneychangers who gain from everything. Whatever he undertakes Jacob wants to come out a winner. According to Jewish law, Esau, being the firstborn, was entitled to his father’s blessing. However, Jacob harbored the desire to obtain his brother’s birthright. He was looking for an opportunity to make his wish come true, and soon he was presented with a chance to do that. One day Esau came in from the field, feeling famished and tired, and he saw that his brother, Jacob, was eating lentil stew. Esau asked his brother to let him have a pot of lentils. Jacob told him, “I will give you some, but if you sell me your birthright.” Esau begged him, “I will sell it to you, I swear, just give me food to eat. What good is the birthright to me if I am famished?” At this point of the story, there are two more characters that come into play: the mother, Rebecca, and the father, Isaac. The mother loved Jacob more, for he had taken after her in his thinking and in the aspirations of his heart. The father loved Esau more, for he was a natural man with common sense. The mother represents the mind in man, and the father represents the reason, which has reached its highest point of evolution with the human being. Jacob’s mother, just like Jacob, himself, wanted for him to obtain his brother’s birthright. But the father who loved Esau more thought that, by law, it was Esau’s right, being the firstborn, to receive his father’s blessing. As Esau’s father was growing old and his eyesight was weak, he called Esau and told him, “I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death. Now then, get your weapons—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.” Then Esau left to hunt some game and bring it to his father. However, Rebecca overheard what Isaac told his son Esau. She, then, went to Jacob and told him, “I overheard the conversation between your father and Esau, and I want you to listen to my advice. Go out to the flock and bring me two choice goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. Then you will take it to your father to feast, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.” Jacob said to his mother, “But Esau is a hairy man, and I’m a man with smooth skin. My father might touch me and then I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.” His mother said, “Let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say.” So, Jacob went and got the goats and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. Then Rebecca took Esau’s clothes and put them on Jacob. She covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. This is how Jacob tricked his father into blessing him, instead of blessing Esau; and for this he later paid the consequences. All thoughts, feelings, and deeds, be they good or bad, bring forth their fruit. This is a law that any person can try out for himself. People of the 20th century do not recognize this law and live according to their own rules: they eat and drink and never even think about the consequences of their Life. Men and women live in discord, but expect to have good children, regardless. If their children do not turn out good they wonder whom they have taken after. It does not even occur to them that they, themselves, might be the reason. The Divine law states the following: in order to have good children the father and the mother must be in complete harmony with each other. This does not mean that they should be absolutely the same, but that they should have things in common, and that they should love each other and get along with each other. There are some subtle differences between men and women, but those differences are difficult to perceive. A number of famous philosophers, scholars, and writers have attempted to describe the difference between a man and a woman, but their attempts fail in the end. They can describe that difference to a certain extent, but never fully. Commonly, women have oval lines, whereas men have straight or angular lines. The oval lines render softness to one’s character, and the straight lines render firmness and sharpness. With men the chromatic scale is more prevalent than with women. In the story about Jacob and Esau we can see what advice the mother gave to her son. Rebecca made Jacob deceive his father, so that he could obtain his blessing. The fact that she gave Jacob such advice shows that she had deceived previously, in her past, as well. Someone says, “Today I lied.” This means that you have lied before, too. Lying was not born today. It has its roots in the distant past, from times immemorial. Who is the original source of lying: the human being or the animal? When did lying first appear in human life: during his ascent or during his descent? When he lied to his brother, Jacob was thirty-two years old; this is the period when a human’s character is formed. Therefore, Jacob was at an age when he consciously stole the blessing that belonged to Esau by right. Following his mother’s advice, Jacob fled to his uncle Laban to hide away from Esau and to avoid his fury. Jacob left his father’s home and set out on a journey. On the very first day of his journey, right after sunset, Jacob had a dream: “He saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to Heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” God saw what Jacob did and gave him what he deserved. This shows that He can see all of man’s thoughts and desires; He notes everything and for each deed he gives out either a reward or a punishment. Jacob went to his uncle Laban’s home; Laban was a smart and practical man and he became Jacob’s teacher. In Laban’s home emerge three new characters: Laban, himself, and his two daughters- Leah, the older one, and Rachel, the younger one. On his way to his uncle’s home Jacob met Rachel by the well; he helped her get water, then kissed her and told her that they were related. From this moment on he fell in love with her. Being a practical man, Laban asked Jacob to name what payment he would like to receive for his work during his stay with Laban. Jacob answered that he loved Rachel and he would like to ask for her hand in marriage in return for his work. The name “Rachel” is very meaningful; this name stands for the sublime ideal in the human being. Laban promised that he would give Rachel to Jacob, but on the condition that Jacob would work for him for seven years. Jacob agreed to this condition. When the seven years were complete, however, Laban gave Jacob his older daughter, Leah, for a wife, instead of giving him Rachel. It was not before the morning after the wedding ceremony that Jacob found out that he had been deceived. He asked his uncle, “Why did you deceive me and not give me Rachel as you had promised?” Laban replied, “According to our laws the older sister should be the first one to marry, and only then can the younger one marry. I will give you Rachel in marriage, as well, if you work for me for seven more years.” This is the law of retribution: Jacob deceived his father and his brother, and for that he, in turn, was deceived by Laban. He had to serve for fourteen years for his two lies: seven years for lying to his father, and seven years for lying to his brother. Many people think that Jacob’s mistakes do not pertain to them: they think that they never lie. For as long as man is on Earth, he is bound to play some role: either the role of Isaac or Rebecca, or the role of Jacob or Esau, or the role of Leah, Rachel or Laban. These seven different characters play their specific roles. People often sell their thoughts and wishes, and, in doing so, they are like Laban who sold his two daughters so that he could profit. The world is like a stairway on which people descend and ascend, lie to each other, persecute each other, chase each other, love each other, and hate each other. Those who love each other cannot marry each other. Instead of marrying for Love, people marry for money. Leah represents a woman who was married for money, and not for Love. Jacob had to marry Leah first before he could marry Rachel. The same thing happens in the Life of people today. A young man loves a young woman, but he cannot marry her, for they are both poor. Not being able to fulfill his desire, he meets another young woman, who is rich and supports him through his studies abroad. He promises her that he will marry her. This second woman is Leah; he marries her after a while and leaves the first one, telling her, “You are beautiful, good and noble, but in this world one cannot live on beauty and nobleness alone.” Laban was a smart man, but Jacob knew the art of becoming rich. After having served his uncle for fourteen years for his two daughters, he decided to stay and work for him for another seven years so that he could save something for himself, too. This way he acquired a great fortune: sheep, goats, and camels. When the strong sheep and goats conceived, Jacob would plant white-striped trees in front of their watering holes and when the animals looked at them they gave birth to striped and speckled foals. Afterwards he would separate his sheep and goats from Laban’s ones. Thus Jacob became wealthy and acquired many herds, servants and maidservants, camels and donkeys. Finally, after having spent twenty-one years with Laban, Jacob returned to his brother. Many people wish that they could be rich, but becoming rich is an art. If someone wants to be rich, he should be bold like Jacob. Jacob had some bad traits, but God put him through great trials and suffering to make him nobler. Many times would Jacob lament his fate! Even though he was an adult already, he had to tend his uncle’s flocks and he had to answer to him for every lost kid or lamb. Through his suffering and trials Jacob learned the art of contemplation. He made a connection with God; he prayed to Him and talked to Him until one day he decided to round up his wives, sons and daughters, as well as all his possessions, and leave Laban’s house to go back to his father’s home, and to his brother Esau. He fled from Laban and started his journey back home. When he approached his father’s home Jacob sent messengers to his brother while he, himself, spent the night in prayer. During that time a man came to him and he wrestled with this man all night, until dawn. Seeing that he could not overpower him, the man touched the socket of Jacob’s hip, and pushed him aside, saying, “Let me go, for it is daybreak already.” Jacob answered, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” “Who are you? What is your name?”, the man asked. “Jacob”, he answered. “From now on you will not be named Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God, and with men, and you have overcome”. It turned out that the man that Jacob wrestled all night was an Angel. What does the name “Jacob” mean? It means Opposer. He stood his ground, i.e. he resisted both God and men. His name had to change because his character had changed. If a man’s name does not change, his character will not change either. In order for man to transform his face, he needs to transform his character first and then his name will change, too. Man’s form and name are one and the same thing in the other world. The number of letters in one’s name, as well as the order in which the vowels and consonants are arranged, are things that have influence on man’s character and Power, as well as his soul’s qualities. For example, the name Rebecca – the mother of Jacob and Esau- has two opposite meanings that are related to the two peoples that came from her. The peoples then were on the path of involution, whereas the peoples today are on the path of evolution. However, to this day there still exist two cultures: the culture of intuition, and the culture of pure reason. These two cultures can only be reconciled if the currents causing them are reconciled first. This is all too natural! When you want to classify a plant first you need to study it closely: you need to study its root, its stem, its leaves, etc. When you study man you can clearly see the two currents in him, i.e. the two different expressions: that of Jacob and that of Esau. Esau represents the course of human nature; Esau did not value his birthright and sold his blessing for naught. He said, “What good is this blessing to me? Life is on Earth only; everything that exists is on Earth only. Only today is important, and so there is no need for me to prepare the conditions for tomorrow.” Esau did not even think that the past life and the present one are connected. The present life is a result of the past one, and the future life is regarded as a consequence of the present one. Remember this: man is not on Earth for the first time. If this was your first time on Earth, how, then, would you explain the contradictions in your character? If you come out of God for the first time then you should be pure, you should be able to know Him. Is this so in reality? Most people do not know God because they have strayed from the right path. Therefore, man did not just come out of God, but has been created thousands of years ago. Someone was in prison, but now is given back his Freedom, and everyone says about him, “This man has been released from prison and is entering Life.” Is this his first time in Life? He was in Life already before he was thrown into prison. Man will come in and out of prison many times before he learns something and cultivates a character. When you read “Les Miserables” you see that Jean Valjean spent some time in prison, but there he acquired something valuable: he cultivated his character there. Every person enters Life after having spent some years in prison, i.e. in the lower spheres of the Astral world. The fact that he was in prison means that he needed to undergo some schooling so that he could cultivate character and become a better person. Once out of prison, man still needs to work on himself for a long, long time in order to build character. Observe the characteristic traits of those children who were born fresh out of this prison: at first they are selfish and they think only about themselves. Give an apple to a third-year old and watch his reaction. He will hide the apple at first to keep it for himself. It takes a long time of teaching to cultivate nobility and tenderness into a child’s character. Yet, some children are impervious to all mentoring efforts and remain rough and selfish. You might object that children inherit their qualities from their parents. Well, where did their parents acquire their qualities? Thinking in this way is neither a science, nor a philosophy. Man’s bad desires and deeds are due to misunderstanding things. Esau and Jacob wanted the same things but differed in their methods of acquiring those things. Jacob used violence, but he had to undergo great suffering to learn that his method was wrong. Similarly, some people attain their desires through suffering that make them better people. Other people, on the other hand, do not need suffering. They have a different way of attaining their desires and becoming better people. A sculptor needs to hammer at a statue for a long time before it is finished. Nature, however, does not use a hammer, but employs different means to work on its statues. Hammering away also constitutes a culture of some sort, but this culture is lowly and coarse. Nature has its own culture that is far better. For example, the ripening of fruits is a kind of culture, but Nature does not use a hammer. You should apply the same method, for this is the only way in which you can attain your desires. There are other ways, too, but they involve big expenditures and great difficulties. Give way to the good urges in you and do not worry about how they will be realized. Leave them to nature and it will take care of everything. If a sculptor is working on you give him a hammer to chip away as he knows best; if nature is working on you let it manifest freely. When you study yourself you will notice that some days God works on you and other days you work on yourself and this way there is a constant rotation. You will work for eight hours and then let God do the work for the rest of the time. It is through changing of work, precisely, that man is inspired by beautiful impulses and is enabled to express himself as someone great and talented. When man sleeps God works hard on him. This is why when man gets ready to go to bed he should put aside all his “backpacks” and relax so that the Spirit can work on him freely. When man wakes up he can pick up his “backpacks” again and he can go on with his work. Dreams have an instructional effect on people. Through having a bad dream one can correct a wrongdoing of his. One’s consciousness is awakened and he sees that he has strayed in a certain respect. The better one sleeps the healthier he becomes. Do the following experiment: in the course of one month try to sleep calmly without any disturbance in your thoughts or feelings and you will see that by the end your overall condition will have improved. If you suffer from neurasthenia, you will be cured. If you want to be healthy, stay away from bad thoughts and desires. People create their own sufferings and difficulties. When they see that an acquaintance of theirs has advanced and has taken a higher position they look for ways to slander him and take him down from his position. The meaning of Life is not in looking for the wrong in other people or in taking them down from their high position; the meaning of Life is in the work that you can do. If you are a sculptor you must perform well the work that you were meant to do. If you are asleep let nature do its work freely: such a sleep is Divine. If one sleeps like that he becomes relaxed and receives God’s blessing. Jacob’s dream was also Divine, and Jacob fell asleep to wake up thinking of Rachel. It was the thought of Rachel that gradually transformed the practical and sly Jacob into a nobler person. Before he started thinking of Rachel Jacob would work for money; as soon as he started thinking of her he was ready to work for free. And so, if people ask when this world will become a better place I will say this: The world will become a better place when all people- teachers, priests, preachers, mothers and fathers- start working for free. Everyone should work freely, out of Love. If one does not serve God, he cannot become a better person. In this same way Jacob understood what it meant to serve God, i.e. to serve Love. “Where can we find God”, you ask. You can find Him in Rachel, for she represents Love. Human character is tested through Rachel, i.e. through Love. A Frenchman spent many years in Africa and made a great fortune. Finally, he decided to go back to France to spend the rest of his Life there. He had two cousins living there and he intended to live with them, for he did not want to marry. In order to choose with whom he should stay he decided to test them first to see which one would prove to be a better and selfless person. He brought his two cousins together and told them, “I was rich and I earned a lot of money in Africa, but then I lost everything and here I am now, coming back to Paris to die in my hometown. Which one of you, two, would be willing to have me live with you?” One of them answered first and said, “Come and live with me for a while.” However, after the very first week this cousin told him, “You need to look for another place to live, for you cannot stay with me any longer.” The man went to his other cousin who told him, “You can stay with me for as long as you wish, brother. My home is your home: you can have and use everything as if it was yours.” After a few months had passed the man decided to reveal his true situation to his cousin and told him, “I wanted to test the two of you and find out which one is a true man so that I can stay and live with him. You were the one who showed selflessness and Love for me. I am rich; I did not lose any of my fortune and what I have I will leave to you.” When he learned about the man’s true situation the first cousin went to his relative, whom he had earlier told to leave his home, apologized and invited him to go back and stay with him for as long as he wished. “It’s too late now”, responded the rich relative. The day will come when God will appear before each one of you in the form of a poor widow, or a poor young man or some suffering soul and he will put you to the test to see if you are ready to accept Him with Love and selflessness. He will test you to see how true you are to your ideal. This is the only way in which you will understand the deep meaning of Life, just like Jacob understood the meaning of the tall ladder on which God’s Angels descended and ascended. Today this ladder is bigger and is more branched out. I wish you all to see this ladder and when you come to the first ladder I wish you to understand the meaning of the earthly life and the meaning of the sufferings that you were given. Sufferings are but the shell that contains the blessings of Life. Just like a seed is enveloped inside its shell to protect the nutritious germ so do sufferings envelop all the blessings, and so man can receive them only when he is able to use them wisely. This is why he, who is looking to find happiness and bliss in the world, must go through suffering first. Christ says, “Those who have ears to listen should listen.” And here is what I say: He who does not believe in my words shall try them first. Once he has undergone trials and sufferings he will understand that they contain the blessings of Life. Jacob had to pay for one lie with twenty-one years of service to Laban, and Moses paid for one murder with no less than forty years of service to the Jewish people. Every wrong and every crime will be atoned for through suffering. Knowing this, a woman should not wonder why her husband is treating her badly, for at some time in the past it was her who had treated him badly. Likewise, the maid should not wonder why her mistress is treating her with such cruelty, for at some point in the past it was her who had treated her mistress badly. This is the law of karma. If you trace the history of mankind, of peoples, of societies, or of families, you will see that this law works everywhere systematically and relentlessly. If you want to have good sons and daughters in the future you need to apply the law of Love. Karma is resolved only through Love. Jacob had twelve sons but only Joseph was born by the law of Love. Jacob worked for seven years for Laban, and after seven years he married Rachel whose only son was Joseph. If one is able to serve with Love for seven years he will give birth to Joseph. If one marries in the common manner, with no Love, he will have Leah whom he will not love and who will bear him many sons. The law of reincarnation is a law through which man can atone for and free himself of the wrongs of his past. The human mind and the human heart are born and reborn following the same law. One American writer once described the day when his mind became clear. This clarity brought him great jubilation. Reaching such a state is but a moment of new birth. This man’s joy was as great as the joy a mother feels after giving birth to a son or a daughter. Just like a child cries when it is born, so does every man cry when his heart and mind are awakened. Great is the moment when the human heart takes the wheel in its own hands and starts directing the fate of its own life. What Jacob saw in his dream several thousand years ago also pertains to people today, i.e. to people of the 20th century. Today God’s Angels are already descending and ascending; a new culture is being born and people and nations are being brought together in a new way. The sufferings that modern people undergo show that they are in the state of a woman who is about to give birth. As soon as she gives birth, the Angels start reincarnating into human minds and hearts one after another. God, who sends his Angels, follows the consequences closely. Every person will be given the chance to hear God speak. If you go out early in the morning in spring, at the time when nature is waking up and flowers are blooming, and if you go deep inside yourself you will be able to hear the soft voice of God. If your hearing is well developed, you will be able to hear gentle, barely audible music, which will bring peace, tranquility and joy into your soul. If you go into the forest you will be able to hear the soft rustle of the leaves that is transformed into a gentle and pleasant melody. The better developed one’s hearing is, the greater the chance that he may be able to hear the soft voice of God. He does not say much: He may say one word only, but it will be remembered throughout the ages. If a young man and a young woman cannot forget the words that they have told or written to each other how much more memorable are the words of God! Is there a young man or a young woman who has forgotten the words “I love you” that they have said to each other once? A young man told me the story about an experience he once had. For some reason he once reached a state of great despair in his Life and he decided to commit suicide. At this moment he overheard the soft voice of his friend that was coming in from the next room. The young man listened closely to the song that was reaching his ears, and he clearly made out the words, “I am only thinking of you and I shall never forget you”. These words caused such a change in him that he gave up on his decision to commit suicide, for he told himself, “There is One Who is thinking of me. This has the power to make me want to live and enjoy everything that I have been given.” Since you know that there is someone who is thinking of you, you should not lose heart. If even one thought alone can make you love Life, then you must love it all the more knowing about all the care, effort and work that is being done for you by not only one, but by many beings. Listen carefully to the words that each person speaks to you so that you can see into their meaning and understand the appeal of the human soul that calls out for liberation. If you hear someone complain about Life and say that he wished he could die you must know that this person wants to die like a tree blossom dies, but first he must set fruit and his fruit must ripen after some time. If you look at it this way, death can be seen as a symbol; it is a passing from one Life into another. When one dies, he is born again; when one is being born, he dies again. Therefore if someone wants to live and be free, he must renounce the everyday cares of Life. This does not mean that you should not think. Think without worrying. Everyone must decide on the program for his Life and then should strive to realize it: and all this without worrying. If you have a father like Jacob, and a mother like Rebecca, you should tell them, “Please, do not teach me to lie, for I don’t need such a lesson.” If you have an uncle like Laban, tell him not to abuse his neighbours’ Love. Many young women and men are unhappy because their parents are against their choice. Let everyone choose for oneself the young woman or the young man that correspond to one’s own heart. If they make a mistake they will suffer for it and will correct it for themselves, in which case they will be suffering for love, at least. No one in this world has been free of suffering. Suffering for one’s ideas is meaningful and elevates man. It is preferable that one should suffer for some idea than to not have any sufferings have been justified. However, if her children die then her sufferings are wrong. In this same way man’s thoughts and desires are born, then live for a while, and then die. A life in which thoughts and desires die right after being born is a meaningless life. Give your good thoughts and desires the chance to live for a long time and bear fruit that you and your neighbours can enjoy. Man has a soul that wants to love; man has a mind and a heart that want to evolve correctly. What will become of you if you kill the life of your mind, heart and soul? What Life is the one in which the mind, heart and soul are not a part of it? Express yourselves freely without lying, stealing or murdering, because everyone receives his due. Every twisted or wrong thought that man gives birth to will follow him throughout his whole Life: on Earth and in Heaven. You need to work correctly and wisely for yourselves, as well as for your neighbours and your people. What might happen to one nation or another should not bother you. Soul is more important than nation. Someone who brings peace and wellbeing to people is worth more than a whole nation that brings sorrow, sufferings and destruction to humankind. Where is the great Roman Empire today? It fell apart, but the Roman people did not disappear. Back then there lived one true Man in the world and they crucified Him side by side with the vagabonds, but His ideas are still alive and govern the world to this day. This man was worth more than the whole Roman Empire. This great man was Jesus Christ. Today all Bulgarians want to know what will happen to Bulgaria. If Bulgaria follows God’s ways then nothing bad will happen to it. Everyone should take care of one’s individual development and should give way to his good thoughts and desires, and should gradually get rid of fear in the process. The better person you become the lesser fear you will have. If you have Jacob’s character you will inevitably suffer. Rebecca, Laban and all other characters reap the fruit of their doings. Today most people are holding the keys to the material world in their hands and wherever you go they will tell you: You must pay for your expenses. Likewise, when someone preaches he also wants to be paid. There needs to exist at least one calling for which people would work for free. There is no calling more sacred than that to serve God with Love. He who serves God always speaks the Truth: the world needs such people. Such people come out of Rachel. This is what is required of women today. Can you play Rachel’s role and tend the sheep like she did? Can you live among shepherds and be respectable? How many men should a woman have and how many women should a man have? They should have one man and one woman. In other words: Man should have one mind and one heart. Two minds and two hearts bring ambiguity into man, and all ambiguity causes harm. One mind, one heart and one will lead to Good. When a woman falls out of love with her husband, her wings fall off. When a man falls out of love with his woman and desires another one, he is committing adultery. Love must be pure and selfless. Laban, too, loved Jacob, but he also used him. Women should strive to be like Rachel and give birth to Joseph. If men and women give birth to sons like Joseph they will be chosen men and women, and they will give rise to a chosen people. “God’s Angels descend and ascend on it.” They ask the Bulgarian young women, “Are you ready to give birth to sons like Joseph?” And then they ask the Bulgarian young men, “Are you ready to give birth to sons like Joseph? Are you ready to live well? If you are ready, we will come to Bulgaria.” Joseph came to Egypt and saved its people from perishing, he saved them from starvation. “When will the Angels come into to the world”, you ask. This depends on you. They may come in an hour, but they may come after many years. God’s Angel will come down to you when you allow your soul and your Spirit to express themselves. This Angel will know you and you will know Him. “But we are sinful.” Do not think about your sins. We do not deal with past things. We do not deal with the present, either. The past and the present are important only as much as they create the conditions for the future. A great future is awaiting you, and you should work towards it. If someone brings a dirty shirt to me I will not ask why the shirt is dirty or whose it is, but I will put it in the wash basin, pour some hot water on it and wash it until it is clean again. If your shirt is clean you should keep it this way, and should make sure that it does not lose its cleanliness. Aspire to that Love that cleans and elevates the human heart. Who cleaned and elevated Jacob? His beloved Rachel did that. God told him, “I am giving you Rachel to love, and you should not think about other women.” Jacob, whose name today is Israel, now lives in a different way than before. For this reason he ranks among the chosen ones, among the learned people of higher culture who bring Light to the world. These people have sacrificed themselves for mankind. All people today are gathered at the bottom of the ladder and are looking up to its top from where God is asking, “How do you intend to live now that you are descending and ascending on this ladder? Are you going to keep on lying to your brothers and sisters, and to your mothers and fathers? Are you going to be seeking after other men and women or are you going to love only those who have been given to you by God and who provide the conditions for your evolution?” Then He turns to the mothers and the fathers and asks them, “Are you going to keep on selling your sons and daughters?” “We have suffered a lot, oh Lord.” God has no pity for people who suffer. He is happy, for he knows that they are about to give birth. God says, “I am as happy when I look at the blooming flowers in the gardens as I am when I look at your children, playing, frolicking and enjoying God’s world.” It is a great thing when man lives for Love and enjoys the world. Then the Life of all people- men, women and children- will turn into songs and prayers. The world will become a garden of paradise. This shall happen, but there is one thing that is required of man: he should keep descending and ascending on the ladder, whose top rests in Heaven. He, who stays by this ladder, will benefit from Life’s blessings. He is like those trees that grow along rivers. They use the water from the rivers to grow well. The ones that are far from rivers are doomed to perish. The Divine blessings: Love, Wisdom, Truth, and Justice descend on the Divine ladder. Be alert so that you may benefit from them. You need to carve out the path for at least one rivulet in your gardens so that you can receive at least one stream of this great abundance. This is the only way in which you can transform your Life and enter the new that is already arriving into this world. The new is like the month of May. Everything has come to life and has broken out of winter hibernation and is out of its cocoon. People, too, are already coming out of their tombs; they are rising from the dead. It is said in the Scriptures, “Come out, all of you who are dead, so that we may enter, who are alive.” What is the meaning of this verse? It means: Come out all you dead, who are alive so that we may enter: we, the alive ones, who are dead, so that we may rejoice. Do not worry if you are of the alive-dead or of the dead-alive, for it is good for both sides. Anyone who comes out of the tomb is already pure, and anyone who enters will be cleansed and will return again, but this time pure and renewed. Enjoy Life and sing praises for being alive. In the story about Jacob and Esau I outlined seven characters, of which only Rachel merits emulation. I now wish all women to be like her; I wish you to bring beautiful and great ideals to the men, women, and children around you. I also wish all men to be like Rachel. Aspire for the new Teaching that Jesus Christ brings through the woman. This Teaching will dry the tears from the eyes of the suffering ones. What kind of woman am I talking about? I am talking about the kind of woman who has Rachel’s character. Such a woman will bloom and set fruit and her fruit will ripen. However, the one who has Leah’s character will have to be transplanted time and over again. Women must save the world and they will. Only mothers can save the world. If anyone thinks that the world can be saved and improved outside of the mother is fooling himself and is wrong. All priests, preachers, teachers, and governors should unite around the mother. The most sublime word, the strongest word in the world is the word “mother”. The words “God” and “Lord” mean “Divine Mother”. All people talk about Love without knowing it. We are talking about Rachel’s love that requires that man should be ready for sacrifice. Without this Love Nature will remain a secret for man. Like man opens up to the one, whom he loves, so does nature open up its secret hiding places for the ones, who love it and whom it loves. He who carries inside the key of Love can penetrate into the great secrets of Being. In conclusion I will say this: In today’s world there are six forces at work: Rebecca, Isaac, Jacob, Esau, Laban and Leah. They create the difficulties and the sufferings for mankind and make it weak. A new force is now coming into the world: Rachel. She brings Light to the human mind. One appeal can be heard everywhere: let women move forward to the frontline! When men move back to the rear and women move forward to the front the world will become a better place. God, the Angels and the saints have great faith in women. I, too, have great faith in them. Therefore, the world will become a better place when men become women’s beloved sons and brothers. This lecture was delivered by the Master on April 8, 1917 in Sofia. Source
  9. The Book - The Salt. Beinsa Douno The Light "You are the light of the world."1 My last sermon was about the salt - the first divine element in life, but today I shall speak about the second element - the Light. I shall try to put Christ’s words in contemporary language as it is spoken in the 20th century. What does Christ mean by the word "light"? Every word has its own sense. Only when it produces a certain effect on the mind or heart of a person can it be understood. For instance, if you hold a match, you can understand its effect only when you light it; otherwise it would make no sense. Therefore, the words in a spoken language are matches; however, each one must have a box on which it can be lit it at just the right time, in order for the word to produce its effect. We should not be like the little children who only take matches out of the box, light them and throw them away. This is no philosophy. There are many writers today who are constantly taking matches out, lighting them and throwing them away. I ask you what effect may their matches thus lit produce? You yourselves must decide what the effect of such lighting would be. In the future, the words should be salted in order to contain Light in themselves. You still have a vague idea about Light. The words "illumination" and "light" have the same root, but illumination is a reflection of light. Light is a compound of that divine element related to the human mind which allows for sound reasoning using logic, content and sense in our thought. In modern physics the scientists are disputing whether the illumination comes from the sun, or it is something different. There are scientists who object to the idea that illumination comes from the sun. They maintain that it is a special kind of energy that, in reaching the earth’s surface, clashes with it and gives the reflection of illumination. Light is an inner process. It is an element, which can always be tested. Light is the most real thing in the world. It is thousands of times more real than the world: it creates human thought and desires; it is a conductor of the spiritual world and exists in the form of ether; it is the wrapping of the human spirit and the human mind; without it no one can think or feel. Anyone who has studied at primary school and has graduated high school has had difficulties with the solution of certain problems. S/he knows that these problems cannot be solved immediately; however, after working on them for awhile, some illumination is thrown on them and they are solved. It is the Light that clarifies them. I shall give you some rules so that you can test everything, for I am not speaking only in theory but am giving you a positive science that can be tested. Light is the healthy state of the human mind, an atmosphere in which a person must live all the time. When writers lose this Light, they become fruitless; when teachers lose it, they lose their methods and cannot teach; when mothers lose it they lack the patience and love necessary to raise their children. If you do not have this Light, you cannot manifest Love and Truth. Christ says, "You are the Light." Who are "you"? The first element is the salt, the Law of Balance which maintains balance in all things. The second element is Light which raises things and makes them grow. All thoughts and desires grow and develop better in the Light. A person who lives in Light is like a fruit tree growing in fertile soil, producing ripe fruit. When your mind is teeming with philosophic thoughts, do not rejoice yet. This may be only a blossoming. To find out if you have Light, test whether your thoughts may set and acquire roots. When a person is not ready to die for a thought of theirs, it means that the thought is not yet born in them. Before I make a more detailed explanation on this question, I shall give you an example out of Bulgarian life. I have a purpose of putting life and sense to these examples. Many have heard this one but I shall give it in a new light. The story goes that a Turk during the Turkish yoke visited a Bulgarian chorbadji2. On entering the room, he saw three icons on the wall and an icon-lamp burning before them. The icons represented the Holy Virgin, St George on horseback and St Nicolas. "What are these three pictures for?" he asked the chorbadji. "They protect me from all evil and so far no evil have I suffered," answered the chorbadji. "How strange, I have so many well-paid servants, but they do not protect me so well," said the Turk. "How much do they cost?" he asked. Then he bought the three icons, took them home and lit an icon-lamp. He sent all the servants away from his house, saying to them, "I need no more servants for I have found loyal men to keep my house." However, one evening robbers broke into his house and robbed him. He went to the icon of the Holy Virgin and said to her, "I can not complain about you for, being a young woman, you have a child to care for." He turned to St George and said, "I cannot complain about you either for you are a young man riding your horse and getting pleasure out of this." Finally he turned to St Nicolas and said to him, "You are an old man having neither a child nor a horse to ride, that is why I shall punish you," and he turned the icon head down. After that St Nicolas somehow found the stolen riches and the punishment was lifted. The Turk said, "Now this is how you should act." What does the Holy Virgin represent? She represents the woman with her heart and the child is the heart she is breeding. A person has come into the world to breed, to regenerate his/her heart and bring it up as a child. You ask, "Why do women bear children?" By the law of childbirth, God is teaching you how to raise your child, i.e. your heart. If a mother gives her child pure milk, it will be healthy; but if the milk is polluted, the child will die. What does the icon of St George represent? St George represents the human mind and the horse - the physical body. A person must ride their horse, for if they do not ride it they will lose it. You must feed your horse well, but you must not overfeed it. What does the icon of St Nicolas represent? St Nicolas represents a man of good heart and good mind who has attained the highest position in life - that of the rational divine life. He must deal with the raising of all humanity; all people must be like children to him. He must sacrifice himself for others as a mother sacrifices herself for her children. As St George looks after his horse well, feeding him properly, so the sound-minded elderly people should look after the young people; stimulating their minds and hearts to live a sound life. That is why Christ says, "A city on a hill cannot be hidden." If you have Light you will be able to discover it. If a palmist looks at your hand, s/he will tell you if you have Light or not; similar to when you enter a European city, you know what kind of people inhabit it by the order of the city and its houses. When you enter a house you can guess what the housewife likes. If the red color predominates, she is a woman of desires, a changeable person. Those who wear red hats, a red girdle, have the idea that the world is a battlefield where they must fight. I do not deny fighting, but it must be based on a divine law; it must build, not destroy life. If it destroys life, it is anarchy. The purpose of fighting is the acquisition of freedom, while Light has this very purpose in view - to make us free. The word "freedom" implies the idea of divine harmony in our thoughts and desires, and of order in the world. Everyone should be in his/her place and make use of the abilities hidden in her/his brain and heart. Present day scientists are constantly weighing the brains of dead people for the purpose of different investigations. Human thought has its marks namely in the brain, which is a garden. What the soil of the human brain is, such will be person’s thoughts. The human brain contains the same zones as those of the earth. Thoughts grow in it the same way as flowers grow on the earth. Every thought has a form which may have the character of a sheep, a wolf, a bear, a fox, a snake, a spider, an ant; for all these forms are qualities forming the human character. This Light enters us the same way as the illumination comes from above and elevates everything in a person. It engenders growth to both the good and the evil animals, regardless of whether they are sheep or wolves. And when these animals complain that they are suffering, this Light says to them, "Fear not, next year I shall create you again, only work a little now." When we complain of sufferings in our life, Light says, "You be careful and I shall create in you all that is necessary." It does not, however, tolerate doubt, feebleness, lack of faith, which are negative qualities. Light is a life of divine harmony and only a person possessing this harmony can know the greatness of Light. It is a rational element. Physicists of today say that if two illuminations of two opposite poles, each with a different wave- length and vibration meet, they are neutralized and darkness is the result. The same is true of Light. Man is one pole of Light and woman the other pole. They get together to create divine harmony, but they can achieve that only if the length of their vibrations is the same; in which case a feeling of love wells up in them and they feel an expansion of mind and heart. However, both must create Light. As Christ says, "You are the Light," meaning all people. When He says, "I am the Light," He means "I and My Father." One person cannot set the world right by saying, "I shall set the world right." S/he does not understand the Law. There must always be two, four, six, eight and so on: couples are necessary. The number two, of which the students are afraid, is a law of contradiction. Two is in conflict with one. Add one unit to two and it becomes three, then four and so on. Suppose you are an intelligent person and you meet a friend of whom you become suspicious without knowing why. You should have facts in order to be suspicious of a person. Do not allow a doubt if you have no scientific grounds. When someone becomes suspicious, s/he says, "I do not know why, but I feel something - that is why I am suspicious." This feeling is not yet proof. For instance a drunkard says, "I have a weak stomach so I must drink a little wine." Then s/he reasons further, "Why should I not drink a little more? After drinking a little, I feel better." Yet this feeling is only temporary for on the next day he will feel badly. When you apply the rule that it is good to drink a little wine, you abuse it later and spoil the good effect of the wine. The human organism is so constructed that it does not tolerate anything superfluous. Chemistry teaches us that every element combines with another in an exact weight ratio; or an element combines with another with an exact number of atoms, but only as many as are necessary to produce a sound, constant compound. This is a Law. In the same way, human thoughts combine according to the Law of Light. This Light has special hues in the spiritual world. They can be passive or active. A hue which is a reflection is passive; however, when it comes directly from the Source itself, it is active. Every thought which causes division in your mind is not divine, as it is only a reflection of Light. For instance, you want to build a house, to become an engineer, a writer or to study medicine; however, the division in your mind shows that the subject you want to take up is not for you. Before the liberation of Bulgaria, when there were only a few professions, fathers advised their sons to become doctors or engineers because these professions were profitable; and not to take up professions which were not profitable. What kind of a doctor, or engineer or a priest would a person who has no inner attraction to their work be? They will be like that doctor in the Middle Ages who had a very easy method of curing: he cured his patients by phlebotomy after which he gave them hot water to drink which resulted in their death. He wondered if all the other doctors cured their patients successfully. It is the same with doctors today who give a medicine to a patient who then dies. Then they say the patient had a weak heart, or try to justify themselves by some other causes. But that is not the case. A doctor should understand the human organism and the temperament of each patient and then prescribe medicine in conformity with that. A sanguine and a choleric person cannot be cured the same way. Why? Because these two organisms contain different elements which have their own specific reactions. In my opinion, all existing illnesses are due to the disharmony that takes place in the divine Light. How many of you believe in the afterlife? You will say, "This is what some great men have written, or that the apostle Paul has said it." But what is your experience of this reality? You will say, "When we die and go to the other world then we shall understand if there is life after death." In order to comprehend this Light, you must have Spiritual Sight. All people who have developed this sense have certain marks in their eyes; they have certain spots around the iris which show the degree of the development of this sight. In western Europeans this sense has begun to appear as intuition, preconception and so on. Some day a great world will be revealed to you in which Light exists. This Light comes from within, not from without. Occultists today say that those who have this Light have magnetism. Such a person is soft and easy-going, they have love and readily forgive. What destroys and spoils people today are the following seven elements: pride, anger, voluptuousness, sloth; miserliness, jealousy and greed. Pride is not of God. God has created people to have self-respect, but they have estranged themselves from Him by their pride. Such a person bears the marks of their pride on their face, hands and nose. I shall not start explaining these now. You yourselves should study these things as many writers have written about them. When you feel pride in yourself, that you are something great in the world, look at yourself in the mirror and remember the features in your face, the expression in your eyes, as well as your whole disposition. When you are in a state of love and kindness, look at yourself again in the mirror. Christ says, "There is nothing hidden in man." Everything is hidden for the blind people. Some people say that I have been reading certain mysteries to you. For those who have eyes there are no mysteries. I have an apple seed in my purse - here it is - this is the mystery; sow it and in ten years’ time you will see its blossoms and fruit; then you will understand this mystery. You may say, "There may be something dangerous in all this." The fearful will not enter the Kingdom of God. How does a good person differ from a bad one? The person who lies speaks fast, but the person who tells the truth speaks quietly and calmly, asking people to test his/her words. I, too, want you to test all things. By this Light I can be in contact with the advanced Americans, Chinese, Japanese, and with your friends in the Other World - the world of divine harmony. If you love someone who has gone to the Other World, you can speak with him/her intelligently, reasonably. There are certain mediums who, not understanding the language of the spirits, begin to twist the truth and use lies. Do not lie, speak the truth, because a lie has short legs3. The truth moves with great speed and its legs are long, so it can help the unhappy spirits. When someone says, "My legs are long," I say, "You are lucky, but I wish the legs of your soul and heart to be long; too, so that you may bear this Light." If this Light develops in us, we shall be able to avoid 90% of the evils taking place today. Light is one of the fundamental elements in bringing up good sons and daughters. I recommend this rule to all women: not to allow their mind to think negative thoughts. And another: let those who have lost the sense of life greet the sunrise every morning. Watch the sunrise in the course of a month and see what you feel. In the spring, when the flowers bloom and the trees are blossoming, watch them and see the result - you will feel the sense of life. What do people do today? They sleep until 10 o’clock in the morning and in the afternoon about sunset they go out to enjoy its dying beams of light. They go out for walks in the autumn when the leaves are falling. Nature should be studied at its particular time. But what are people like today? Someone reads the New Testament and wonders what Christ meant by certain words. Christ could read very well the Book of Divine Nature. When I read a book, I ask myself whether its author has Light or not and what are the colors he lacks. After reading a book, I can describe its author - the kind of head s/he has, his/her face, hands, thoughts and so on. Some want to know who and what kind of a man I am. What I am speaking to you is what I am. If I rob you, I am such; if I heal you - I am such. You may ask, "Why should he heal us?" It makes no difference who will help you, I or someone else. According to me, I should give someone the surplus of my knowledge and of my life, because it is not mine. The Light coming from within me is to be spread out, "All of you are Light." For 2000 years the Christians have been reading this verse and cannot understand it. That is why you have to turn the icon of your St Nicolas head down, he ought to keep your house and your possessions for he is your reason. Say to him, "You must reason well, or I shall turn you upside down." You ask, "What is Light?" When it enters your soul, your face will be beautiful, your eyes will be shining; a pleasant warmth will be emitted from your hands and you will emit a pleasant odor. But how do people smell today? Very badly. The violets and some other flowers help you hide your natural smell. The violet you use says, "God is manifested in life in humility, not in pride. If you are a valley of good soil, God will sow the best seeds in you; but if you are a bare, proud peak, there will be nothing but eternal snow on you." This is the language of the violets and when people use their perfume, they should learn their language. However, I am not blaming anyone by saying this. I wish you all to have the fragrance and color of the violet. When you pronounce a word or write something, there must be a fine fragrance in it. According to the conception of this Light all people are colored flowers. What is a teacher, a preacher, a farmer, a father, a mother, a brother or a sister? They are great divine flowers. Have you seen the color of a mother? When you enter the life of the Light, you will understand what color a mother is. There are no more beautiful colors in the world than those of mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters or close friends. Do you have these colors written within yourselves? Is there a person who has not sent Light out of him/herself at least ten times? Who has not spoiled the colors of his/her mother and father, of his/her friends inside him/herself? From now on we must build and create. If you want to raise the Bulgarian people, you must build. Bulgaria has need of Salt and Light which makes for growth. That is why all people of learning must consider and think about this. There can be no Bulgaria without Salt and Light. The Bulgarian nation has a root down in the earth and a branch in the divine world - this nation must bear fruit on its branch above. This is the only way a nation or a soul can be characterized. The souls are individual, but at the same time - collective. Collectivity is the Law of Harmony. We can feel Light by our soul, by our heart and by our will. One thing that destroys Light is anger. An angry person is without will. It says in the Scriptures, "Be angry, but sin not." Anger is a certain energy used in the wrong direction. Everyone has experienced a weakness after anger, which shows there is a state of demagnetization. Another element that obstructs light is voluptuousness. It is the grave of love. How many young men and women have gone to the grave prematurely because of it. Love is harmony whereas voluptuousness is poison. Yet another element that destroys light is sloth. If you go to America, you will see that besides school education children study certain handicrafts. Everyone works there making their own living and considers it humiliating to depend on others. There people respect those who work. I wish everyone in Bulgaria to aspire for work - this refers to the townsfolk, not the peasants - for they are endangered by indolence. The element of envy is also destructive to Light. Envy and pride are a brother and a sister. Whoever is envious, is proud as well. The person possessed of envy delights in the suffering of others. You remember Shakespeare’s tragedy "The Merchant of Venice," where the miserly Jew insisted on the pound of flesh to be cut off his debtor’s body even when the latter was in a state to pay back his debt. There are many other examples where envy manifests malicious joy. A man went to court with another man and after hearing them the court decided to impose a greater penalty on one of them and asked them what penalty they would prefer. The one who would have a lighter penalty proposed that both eyes be taken out of the other man. "But we should take one of your eyes too, then," said the judge. "I agree," said the man, "if both eyes are taken from the other one." A person of such cruelty cannot have Light. Envy obsesses politicians as well and there are quite a few of them in Bulgaria. Give way to the noble people! If a person possesses these vices mentioned above; obstruct his way, he is not in his place. When Christ says, "You are the Light," He means the people of the future. When God created the world with the stars, moon and sun, He said, "This is for the people of the future." Someone says to me, "Tell me about my past life" It is inscribed on you. You may have a disordered organism now, but that does not mean that you are ill. As soon as the conditions obstructing Light are taken away, this disorder will disappear. Another vice that impedes Light is greed - the desire for many possessions. I shall give you an example of greed. In Spain there lived a millionaire who enslaved whole regions. All people complained of him, so the Spanish king issued an order for his imprisonment. In the prison, whenever he wanted water or bread, they made him pay 1000 leva for a piece of bread or a glass of water. "This is the greatest cruelty imposed on me," said the prisoner. The king answered him, "This is your punishment, go away now and do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you." That is why God sends you all these evils. You say about someone that he/she was born feebleminded. It is not true that his/her mother and father have born him/her so, as everyone is his/her own father and mother. There are two theories about this: some say that the mothers pass their own qualities to their children, while others say that the child exists in the invisible world as a sensible being, choosing a suitable mother, a suitable environment, influencing the mother by suggesting good thoughts to her mind. A pregnant woman can determine the character of her son/daughter according to the kind of thoughts engaging her during pregnancy. We can oppose the divine world, but when its law becomes active, its power will do away with our unreasonable opposition. You, men and women who are here, are the Light. Evil does not exist for me. I understand that evil does not exist in divine harmony, but outside of this harmony there is evil. If you decide to live a noble and good life, you will have this Light, it will be with you. This Light is rational and all ancient mystics who had this Light saw a boundless world tinged with the most beautiful colors that filled their soul. When you are in high spirits, you have this Light, but you cannot keep it long. Sometimes you think that I am speaking well, but you say, "Who knows what purpose he has in view." My purpose is to fulfill the will of God. I am not one of those who deceive people; up till now I have neither said a lie, nor have been lied to. You can win my favor only by Goodness, Truth, Love and Wisdom. If you decide to serve God, only then will God come down from His greatness and make you good people and great spirits. I am preaching to you about the Living Lord", the Lord of the Twentieth Century Who tears down prisons; sets the prisoners free; and brings harmony, order, joy and gladness. He brings such blessings as people have not even thought of. He will turn this earth into a garden of paradise and you, Bulgarians, will live in it. You will all be living when I shall meet you again and I shall see whether what I am speaking to you is true or not. These are not illusions as some may think. Illusions can be known by the following quality: you may nourish someone with illusions telling him/her you have given them real food, but in forty or fifty days they will grow weak and die. A person faints and grows foolish with illusion. I wish all Bulgarian men and women to be great - great in virtue, great in love, great in righteousness, great in wisdom, great in that divine truth of Light of which I am speaking to you. Think about Light; it is with you. Test it, be self-reliant and enter as the bees into every blossom to gather honey. Do not remain to spend the night there - that is voluptuousness - but take your honey and go to the beehive. This is what Christ wanted to say by the words, "You are the Light," and "A city placed on a hill cannot be hidden." When you enter this city, you will understand the sense of your earthly life. You try to imagine what your future life will be like. Know it is within you and depends upon your present life. It is the same with every silkworm, which possesses all the necessary elements for its turning into a butterfly. It will not be long before you become like this butterfly. Now, you are walking on the earth in a straight line, asking yourselves if there is another life; and with your little wings - your mind and heart of Light - you will alight on the most beautiful divine tree, the Tree of Life; you will understand its sense and be joyful and happy. Sermon held on April 1, 1917 in Sofia 1 Matt. 5:14 2 A wealthy owner of estates and money during the Turkish domination /1393-1878/ (ed. note) 3 Bulgarian saying (ed. note)
  10. The Book - The Salt. Beinsa Douno The Salt "You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its savor, where with shall it be salted?"[1] Christ begins His sermon on the mount with nine blessings. The blessings He is speaking about have a relation to another world, they are not about the earthly life. Christ says about the earthly people, "You are the salt." I shall speak about the salt because life cannot exist on earth without salt. The physical world is a world of salt, not of light - which is the world of the angels. "You," which "you"? Do not take this word in a narrow sense. For those who believe, "you" implies all people in whom the Divine consciousness is awakened. All people in whom this consciousness is awakened are the salt of the earth. By the word "salt", all occultists, cabalists and mystics understand the power of balance - that element of power which keeps things in a balanced state. In order to walk in the street, you must have balance. When a ship is being built, they put a load of salt on its bottom to keep it balanced so that the waves will not turn it over. The word "salt" implies that power that thickens matter, keeps it from disintegration and creates conditions for the higher powers of the world to work. Salt is a necessary element on the earth for the healthy condition of the human body. When an organism loses its salt, it loses its base, and as a result of that all kinds of illnesses attack it. The people call someone a neurasthenic; but I say that they have lost their salt - their energy flows out. If we could see with the eye of a clairvoyant the nerves and the arteries of a neurasthenic person, we would notice in many places there are cracks from which the energy flows out. Such a person is weak. Why? Because they have lost the Divine Salt, which is a basic power for maintaining human life on earth. What are the causes for losing this salt? In the first place, the unrestrained human passions. After every expression of passion, regardless of what character, one feels a weakness. You have all experienced this. Passions are not necessary to people who have salt, but only to those who have none. Christ says to His disciples, "You are the salt and if the salt should lose its power, i. e. if it loses its saltiness, it is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trodden by men." But why should it be trodden upon? Treading is a reaction so that it may acquire its saltiness again. When you suffer, that is treading; the angels throw you out among the people and you become weak because you have lost your saltiness. If you had been rich, you become poor; if you had been wise, you become foolish. You lose your saltiness, but as soon as this happens, you lose the sense of life too and then all contradictory teachings spring up: whether people should get married or not, whether they should have children, whether they should love their wives, and so on. The Epicurean philosophy takes hold according to which a man should have many wives and experience everything. You may try everything, but then you will be thrown out and trodden upon by all sensible[2] people until you obtain your saltiness. Then the second process will come; the light will come, your mind will be illuminated and you will understand why you are suffering. You will understand that these things do not agree with life. Every thought, every desire which does not serve the building of the human soul and which is destructive, is not a necessary desire - it is losing your saltiness. When a husband treads upon his wife, let her say to herself, "Tread upon me that I may become salty." A husband trodden upon by his wife shows that he has no salt. Bulgarians call a bear-trainer to come into a village to make his bear tread on their sick people - or to salt them - and they get well. This power is hidden in all people. Scientists today have given it different names, while the occultists call it "magnetism," among the other names that they give it. When a person has this salt, they are magnetized. If you have this salt, you feel a certain pleasant warmth below your solar plexus and you get up in the morning well-disposed. However, if you do not have enough salt, you get up badly disposed, ready to be harsh and rude with people. Getting angry at the first person you meet means that person is asking you to tread upon them a little so that they may become salty. The person who comes to tread upon the angry one has this salt which will immediately restore the person’s balance. I want you to put my sermons to a test and to see their results. Only the person of deep convictions and experience is strong, for if you believe everybody, you have no salt. I believe that God speaks to people according to the salt they possess. If you have salt, He will say to you: "When you get up, go to dig your vineyard and to sow your field." If you are a judge you will study your cases, do other work, and you will understand Him. If you do not have salt, people will tread on you, rob you, steal your money, take away your wife, children, house. God says, "Treading is necessary on those people who cannot do their work on earth." People often ask, "Why is the world not going well?" There is no salt in the world. Give people salt! Much salt is not necessary - you need only a quarter of a kilogram of the salt I am speaking to you about. That will be enough for the salting of the whole Bulgarian nation, so that it can become an excellent nation for at least one hundred years. Do you know how long your factories must work for the production of this salt? A scientist calculated that the original substance of which the world was created was thousands of times lighter than hydrogen and that to obtain only a gram of this original substance, all the factories in the world would have to work for three thousand years. You are the salt and in order to acquire this salt you must devote your whole life to this. If you had only one gram of this salt, you would be the richest person in the world. Wherever you went, you would heal people. When you enter a house where the husband and wife are at odds, give some of this salt so that peace and agreement will be immediately restored. Children are quarrelling - give them some of this salt; nations are warring, give them of this salt and peace and concord will be immediately restored. You say, "What kind of an alchemical element is this salt, what great power it has!" Upon entering the church, a priest who has this salt will silence everyone and all will turn to him. People want salt and if you do not have it, you can not have success. I am not speaking in the sense of judging you; I am only stating a defect that is common to all people, not only to Bulgarians. Everyone on earth has defects. If we were perfect, we would be among the angels with God. But since we must become well-bred, God has sent us to the earth - the place of wisdom where these great lessons can be learned. Today I am preaching to you about the salt. Why? Because you all want to be happy. In fact, everybody can be happy but you must acquire the ability to retain this happiness, not just attain it. You get up in the morning well-disposed and say, "How happy I am." Five or ten minutes pass and you lose this happiness, this good disposition. Why? You have no salt in yourself. Salt implies the world with all its forms. Since you cannot retain only the essence without forms, that is why I say that the world is actually-real and actually-unreal. Actually-real is that world which has all the forms with their content, but actually-unreal is the world which has the forms without their content. There are people who are actually-unreal because they have a body, but have no salt. If you have no salt, you cannot understand what Divine Delight, Divine Goodness and Love are. Only by means of salt, by a balance between your mind and heart in a calm state, can you comprehend this Divine World. Christ says, "The salt which has lost its savor must be thrown out and trodden on." That is why I have said many times that sufferings are necessary for they are the way of acquiring saltiness. Saltiness is the way to Light; the Light is the way to Love and Love - the way to God. As soon as we begin seeking God, the world changes the aspect it has had until now. All of you who are listening to me this morning think that at times the world has some meaning and at other times it does not. That is very burdensome. You have friends who do not understand you; children who do not love you; you sit among believers, but they do not understand you either. The thing for you to do now is to understand whose fault it is. Is it they who have no salt or you? Where the salt is, there the right is; where there is no salt, there is no right. If you have no salt, you must say, "They must tread on me." All people are parts of God, of His great organism and since such is the case, it makes no difference who treads on you - do not forget that this is of God, in all cases divine hands or feet tread on you. This is a thousand times more pleasant than if a bear should tread on you, as the Bulgarian practice goes. An Englishman tells of an experience of this kind. He went to India in order to study the life of the Hindu people. As an amateur sportsman, one day he took his gun and went to hunt in a thick forest. As he was carrying his gun in his right hand, he felt a strong blow on his left arm and fell to the ground. A tigress had hit him and carried him to her den where her little ones were. The tigress said to her children, "Get hold of this Englishman, tread on him hard and give him a good lesson. If he tries to raise his head, you tread on it." The Englishman wanted to raise his head and see what was taking place around him, but the tigress said, "Do not look up; there is nothing there, I am teaching my children." The Englishman said afterwards, "I was not angry that my left arm was broken; but that they trod on my head, so I could not see anything." Everyone who has no salt will fall into the claws of a tiger. When two young people are getting married for love, they go to the church, the priest prays for them and everyone kisses them. In a month’s time they part. The tiger has taken the bride or the groom. These people have lost their savor and will be thrown out. If there is a divorce between them, they have lost their salt and such people should not live together. Whether you are a man or a woman - treading is necessary. Bulgarians heal themselves by treading on one another. It is a pleasant massage, a nice rubbing. This salt is necessary for your physical organism, for your feelings and thoughts as well. The Law is general: it refers to the Angelic and Divine Worlds as well as to the physical world. Modern philosophers give different names to the qualities of the spiritual world. For instance, they call a person who has salt a moral person and a person without salt - immoral. People say about someone: "This person is highly intelligent, sensible," which means that there is a law of balance in him, or salt. Intelligence[3] is salt, so by the word "intelligence" is meant that condition when all human abilities are active. Salt is the soil. There can be nothing in the world without salt for the earth itself would be a desert without salt and everything would decay. Salt is a fertilizer stored up for years. Next to it there are other forces which build our organism. In order not to lose your salt, you should refrain from unlawful desires. I shall tell you a parable now. In the distant past a girl was born in a palace; she was the most beautiful girl in the world. When she grew up, her father found a good young man whom he wanted his daughter to marry. This young couple was so well-loved in heaven that God sent down an angelic representative to attend their wedding on the earth. When the angel came to the earth, he fell in love with the young bride and did not wish to return to heaven. He began to think of ways of possessing this young woman. God waited for him to return for a day, two, three days, a month; but the angel did not return. When God understood how things stood, wishing to teach the angel the consequences of his bad desires, He turned him into a songbird who would hop from branch to branch among all the other birds. The angel began noticing that other birds avoided him as he hopped around in the trees and he could not figure out what was causing all his sufferings. One day he hopped on a tree and started to lament over his life. Just then four robbers came under that tree to divide their booty. They divided it into equal parts. Two of them decided to go to town and buy food and drink for a feast. On the way back these two robbers decided to put poison in the food so that when the other two ate it they would die. These two men would then take all of the riches. The two robbers who remained under the tree while waiting for their comrades to return decided to shoot them when they returned and take their riches. The angel knew of the evil decisions of both parties. When the two robbers approached the place, both were shot from a distance; the other two ate the food and were poisoned. Only then did the angel realize what the consequences of unlawful desires are and why he suffered. When God sends you to a wedding in which He participates, do not have the eye of this angel. If you are a man, keep yourself from saying, "she will be mine," or if you are a woman, "He will be mine," because you will sing up in the tree for a long time. I ask you: “Are you not such birds thrown out of heaven?” Some ask, "Tell us why we have come down from heaven." We have all come down to learn that unlawful desires have bad consequences and to understand that a man who has no salt is far from God. People want freedom. That is why God sends them to earth and says to them, "Live according to the Law of My Freedom." The wrong thing in people is that they want freedom only for themselves. According to God’s law, we must understand the relationships which exist among us. The Law of the Salt is, "Do not refuse to others what you desire for yourself." You should give others a chance to develop their own abilities too. If someone has a field or a vineyard, do not envy them, but rather be grateful that they have everything. If you see someone riding a horse, do not say, "I wish this horse were mine!" Be thankful that the person has a horse. They are worthy of it. If you see a nice, well-furnished house, do not desire it for yourself. If you have salt, you will have everything you need. Say to God, "I want salt from now on!" In order to convince some people today of this Great Truth, you must argue a long time with them; while with others you need only try to convince them. Few are those who will agree with you at once. People whose Spiritual Sight is not developed need argumentation, which is like groping in the spiritual world. By their feeling of sequence, step by step, they will form a clear idea of the things which they cannot grasp at once. In our reasonings about God, we use the same analogy in order to form an idea of Him. All philosophic schools, with their thick volumes of studying the questions of God, are all groping - some closer, others farther from the Truth. Some have touched the little finger of God and say, "What small fingers God has!" Someone has touched His hand and says, "What a big hand God has!" Someone has touched His shoulder or His head and has knowledge accordingly. But this is only the external side of God – His manifested nature. It will be strange if someone should get on top of the roof of my house and say. "Now I understand Mr. Deunov. He is hard, because I am touching hard tiles." If someone should touch something soft, he would say, "How soft Mr. Deunov is!" I can be hard and soft at the same time. What do you understand by "hard"? Hard as a stone or hard in one’s convictions? Therefore we cannot have true conceptions of things from an external touch, but only vague ideas. If you do not have a sufficient amount of salt, you will not be salty and you will say, "Life is nothing but eating and drinking." I am not against eating and drinking. I do not recommend hunger or unnatural fasting. I have a different idea of fasting - everyone should eat as much as is necessary for the renewal of their body. Every day we should use a certain quantity of bread, water and air for the building of the body. Some think that if they do not eat, they will become better. No, if you do not eat, you will become worse. If you want to make a person better, feed them if they are hungry; give them drink if they are thirsty; and after they are nourished give them some of your salt and they will become better. If you do not feed them, you will commit a crime. If you meet a person in despair who wants to commit suicide, do not give them advice that this is a wrong thing to do or tell them not to despair. Take them to your home; feed them according to your custom; give them drink, and in an hour or two, after their food has been digested, say to them, "Let us have a talk now." Give that person a chance to feel well-disposed and tell you why their life is so dark. Instruct them and show them the way they should go. That is why God has sent them to you on that day. We often pray, "Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done," however, if you do not fulfil His will as He prompts you, that day you will be without salt. You can do this experiment: if you are in low spirits, meet a friend who feels worse than you, call them to your home, feed them and you will notice how God has salted both of you. A woman who is dissatisfied with her husband meets another woman who is even more unhappy; and when the two of them get together and talk for awhile, God will salt both of them. This is a positive Christian philosophy. People often say, "You must not eat too many beans, too much meat as they leave sediments in your body." Ask yourselves why people eat so much - in order to obtain salt. When they have enough salt, they will not eat much. When you become normal then we can speak of a higher philosophy of life. You can do the following experiment, for you are all of the actual-real world: you may say to yourself, "Now it has come into Mr. Deunov’s mind to speak to us about salt; do we not know how necessary it is?" I am speaking to you about the salt so that you may make this simple experiment: stop and think for 5 to 10 minutes about the salt, about its influence on your organism, feelings, Soul, and mind and see if a change takes place in you and what you feel. Why is salt precisely such an active element? People often complain to me that they are in a bad mood – unhappy; but I say to them, "I know this, because I am also on the earth." "Yes, but your condition is quite different from what we are under." The difference lies only in the fact that I have more salt. I shall give to you of my salt, but you must make good use of it and distribute it well. When you have some leaven, keep part of it for future use. When you eat yogurt, put a spoonful aside as leaven and do not say the children have eaten it all up. I recommend to people today not to eat to complete satisfaction, because God will take such people from the earth. In such a case you will be like a Bulgarian man to whom money was lent and he started buying useless things with it. The man who lent him the money took it back to count it and did not return it, saying, "You are not a man who can use money properly, that is why you do not deserve it." When God sees that you do not use life rightly and abuse it, He takes it back. Many of you were healthy, happy and joyful, but now you are faint and weak. Why? Because you are not yet able to make a proper use of life. When you have salt in yourselves, you will be healthy people with a sound body and heart. Concentrate your mind on salt - the element of balance and uplifting - and try to comprehend it. The Hindus call this element "Prana," a power bearing life in itself. It can be found and drawn from the air, the food and the water. Now I shall tell you how to eat. We shall begin with eating in this life. When you begin to eat, the first condition required of you is to cast out all discontentment. You should try to love the small piece of bread you have, so that the energy that it has might penetrate your organism. This would create a pleasant feeling in you. But what do we find today? A wife cooks for four hours a tasty meal and when her husband comes home he is scowling and discontented, throwing cold water on his wife and all the salt is gone. The next day the wife is disgruntled and he eats without receiving any of this salt, because there is discontentment. Both the husband and wife are discontented. The husband says, "Is this a wife?" The children say, "What kind of a mother is this!" Another time the husband buys meat, butter, eggs and again all are discontented at home. In order to be content, prepare yourself in thinking that everything is excellent with you wife. When you chew your food you will see how tasty it is and what a feeling of pleasantness and happiness you will experience. Now you are complaining, "How can one live on ¼ kilogram of bread?" But in a quarter kilogram of bread there is enough salt for your subsistence. It is our discontentment which causes all the unpleasantness. You say to yourself, "When my stomach is empty, I do not understand anything about this eating." It is not your stomach that is empty – it is your mind and your heart that are empty. I have made different experiments with food, at times eating only two apples with some bread and I have been satisfied. It is not in the abundance of food; but in eating with a grateful heart that one is blessed. Do not be negligent of the little salt in the world; it is like the small grain of wheat out of which great things are born. The first thing we should do is to reform this feeling of discontentment which exists in us. When you have a small quantity of food, thank God for it and it will be multiplied. Because in living magnetism there is a power by which all particles which have a similar vibration to that of the central magnetism are attracted. If you are pleased with the food you eat, you will be able to attract from outside as many elements as are necessary to satisfy you. Some say, "We should not drink water, it is for the frogs; the wine is for us." You should drink water on an empty stomach from 100 to 150 milliliters in swallows. You should drink from half to one kilogram of water daily out of which you will take the necessary food for your arteries. You should breathe deeply through your nose, not through the mouth, so as not to swallow much dust. When people today learn to receive food, water and air this way, the other blessings will come of themselves. Do not think that things will be created in you and in your soul from now on. No, there are many dormant feelings in you. The human soul is rich, waiting for conditions to develop. The first thing you should develop is gratefulness for everything you have. Keep your eye from being like that of the angel I told you about. If you all apply this great "Law of Thankfulness", at least 50% of your affairs on earth will be set right. Then the angels watching us from above, seeing that we have started on the Path, will come to help us. Do not think that you are working alone in the world. Dig the earth and you will see how many small worms are helping the tiller; how many microbes are helping the farmer in preparing the soil; and how many elements form the grain of wheat. In spite of all this, we are children who are always discontented no matter what their father brings them. Every child must thank their father for everything he brings them. A child who does not kiss their father when he brings them something, has no salt. Some parents say, "My angel." It is an angel indeed, but without the wings. A daughter who does not thank her father and mother and does not kiss them is also an angel without wings. You who are listening to me will speak to others in the same way. Then we shall verify by experience the necessity of this salt for all. Today God is treading on people, salting the world: Englishmen, Germans, Russians, Frenchmen, and so on. From today on, the Good is coming. When you go home, obtain at least a gram of salt in order to be a useful member of your family, of society and the nation. Be thankful for everything, for only then can you obtain a Blessing. Then you will be wise, good, industrious and diligent. Sermon held on March 25, 1917 in Sofia _________________________________________________ [1] Matthew 5:13 [2] Here and later sensible is used in the meaning of having, containing, or indicative of good sense or reason, rational, reasonable, as in the collocations sensible people, made a sensible answer, (ed. note) [3] Intelligence as the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one’s environment or to think abstractly (ed. note) Source
  11. Salvation “But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Matthew 19:17 Educated people of the 20th century, both worldly and religious, have a vague understanding of Moses’ law as well as of Christ’s law. For the past two thousand years Christians have been combing through Christ’s Teaching and have, thus, made it so threadbare that if you were to look at it through the eyes of a seer you would to see it as a tree with peeled off bark. All critics, writers, and preachers alike talk about obtaining salvation through doing good deeds, and through implementing God’s commandments, but salvation proceeds out of one basic law in Nature that has been in existence long before Christ’s time, since the beginning of all Existence. Thus, everything that happens today in the human soul, in societies, in peoples, and throughout the whole of humankind, comes from the Beginning of all Existence, i.e. from the original Life source. The word “salvation” has many meanings. For example, someone falls into water and starts drowning, but then someone else pulls him out of the water. Everyone is happy and says, “This man has been saved.” Someone else recovers from a serious illness and people say, “He is saved.” Then, someone else strays from the right path, but after a while is able to straighten his life and start living righteously again. Again, people say of him, “He has been saved.” The common meaning of the word “salvation” implies one’s leaving the bad life and returning to the good Life again, or it implies leaving the toils and suffering of Life and settling into the better conditions of Life. Taken in its broader meaning, the word “salvation” implies one’s entering into eternal Life. Everyone wants to find the conditions of eternal Life. This is all too natural! It is not good enough for man to be saved from drowning, only to die of starvation later; it is not enough for man to rid himself of a serious illness, only to fall sick with another after some time. All of this is but getting rid of one evil only to run into another one. What man needs is real salvation; he needs to restore his connection with the Original Cause of all things. Man cannot be saved unless he restores this connection, for outside of this connection no salvation exists. This is how salvation should be understood today for this is how Christ understood it and this is how all saints, as well as all just and good people on Earth have understood it. Christ says, “If you want to be perfect, go sell what you have, and give to the poor; and come, follow Me.” Anyone who sees salvation in different terms is deluding himself, and he will go through falling and getting up again, through losing faith, etc. The law of salvation is at work at all times. Some think that man can be saved only once and that once he has been saved he does not need to think about salvation any more. Man needs to save himself at any given moment. Salvation, therefore, is a manifold and eternal process. We do not believe in one-time processes. However, just like man eats, drinks water and breathes all the time, he needs to save himself all the time, as well. There is a constant connection between the human soul and God: this connection is called “the connection of salvation.” People often wonder, “Have I been saved?” Today you may be saved but tomorrow someone might grab you by the neck; today you may be full but tomorrow you will be hungry; today you may have one good thought but tomorrow you will be attacked by some bad thought. If you want to break the cycle of being in one condition today and in another tomorrow, you need to keep your connection with God intact. Christ came down to Earth to create a strong and constant connection between men and Angels, on one hand, and between men and God, on the other. When the young man asked Christ what to do in order to inherit eternal Life, Christ said, “You shall not murder!” This comes to show that murder can sever man’s connection with God, with the Angels, and with his more advanced brothers. Christ also added, “You shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness; honour your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbour as yourself.” These are the laws of the Spirit and these laws are related to the present epoch. The young man said to Christ, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Christ answered him, saying, “If you want to be perfect, go sell what you have, and give to the poor; and come, follow Me!” With the first two commandments Christ explains the reasons that can lead to breaking off the connection between man and the world of sublime intelligent Beings. With the next few commandments He explains the causes that can repair the broken connection. “You shall not murder!” The word “murder” is used in a broad sense and meaning. When you hear this commandment you might think to yourself, “Thank God that I have not murdered anybody in my life.” All I can say to you is this: there is no person in the world who has not murdered. Murder is not only taking one’s Life. Every day, knowingly or unknowingly, man murders a good thought, a good feeling or a good intention that comes to him. Also, man murders his neighbour’s good thoughts, intentions and acts. For example, when you meet someone who believes in God and you manage to talk him out of his belief is that not murder? You murder a sacred feeling inside this man. How do you know that God does not exist? He, who denies the existence of God, wants, in fact, to take His place. Therefore, when you say about someone that he is not rich, good, beautiful, or learned it shows that you want to keep these qualities for yourself. The denial of the Good, the beautiful, and the great puts distance between man and God. By doing these things you break off your connection with Him and expose yourselves to death. You might say that people love you, but this means nothing. People may love you and you may still toil and suffer, depending on what kind of Love their love is. Most people’s love is the love of crows and eagles. I do not mean to offend you by saying this, but I want you to know that love that does not build and elevate is but animal love. The “You shall not murder” commandment pertains precisely to this very kind of love. You say that people sing hymns to Love. To which Love should we sing hymns: to the one that destroys or to the one that creates? So many young men and women of noble thoughts and desires have been disappointed with Love! So many young women and men have made an attempt on their Life after marriage! Why does a young woman feel disappointed? It is because she cannot find in her beloved those elements that are necessary for her evolution. The young man, too, is disappointed with his beloved for the same reason. Does this same thing not happen with man’s religious beliefs? You meet a religious, joyful and inspired person, but you dissuade him of his belief and you prove to him that there is Life only on Earth, and then he becomes disappointed and loses his good disposition. The time will come when man’s consciousness will awaken and he will enter from one Life into another. Then people will understand that there is no death, and that Life is eternal and continuous. People today have different beliefs and concepts of this life and the life beyond, but they have not tried and tested everything. Some maintain the thought that there is Life only on Earth, and that when man dies he disappears and nothing is left of him. These people deny resurrection. Which one of these people has been to the other world to say what is there? Only the one who has tried a certain idea has the right to deny or ascertain it. Only the dead man can talk about death; the living talk only about Life. Speaking of this, there are dead people who are alive and continue to live. There are also living people who are dead; they move among the living but do not acknowledge Life. These people move about mechanically, having no thoughts or feelings. Thousands of years must pass before they can come back to life. They look but they cannot see; they listen but they cannot hear, for they are sleeping. However, there are also people both in this world and in the other one who can see, hear, understand and apply the laws of Life. They are alive and they enjoy Life as it is manifested in all worlds. “You shall not murder!” This means that you should not destroy a single good thought or a single good intention that God has invested into you or into your neighbour. Instead of destroying one’s Life and making it meaningless, one should build. The meaning of human Life is in getting rid of the bad traits and cultivating the good ones that elevate man, and create conditions of man’s salvation and union with God. How can one get rid of one’s bad traits? He can do that by removing from his way all those conditions that cease his connection with the Divine world. For man, to break this connection will mean to stop his evolution on Earth. Man must first live through Moses’ law, which states, “Respect your father and your mother, and love your neighbour as yourself.” Only after he has implemented this law is man ready to implement Christ’s law. Christ says, “I am the true vine, and My father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” This means that each one of Christ’s canes that has not yet given up its desire to kill is a cane that does not bear fruit. The Father will cut it and toss it aside. What are the signs that show which man kills? One sign is sourness, i.e. discontentment. Once man is sour, once he has started to feel irritated and discontent, he is ready to kill. In addition, Christ says, “You shall not steal!” What should we not steal? We should not kill people’s good thoughts and intentions. I am ready to give away all my fortune, but I do not ever want to have something stolen or steal something, myself, from the mind and heart of a man. One should not kill one’s neighbour’s good thoughts and intentions, and one should not steal, as well. Christ says, “You shall not bear false witness!” In his interactions of giving and taking, man should be completely honest and should allow for no lie whatsoever. If he receives one good thought or one good intention, he should respond with the same. If man repays one good thought with a bad one, he is using a lie. If you repay the Good with bad and tell yourself that you have applied the Good, with this you are corrupting yourself first, but also your family and your society. One is not allowed to kill, steal, or lie. A woman or a man who allow themselves to steal the mind or the heart of the other one are on the wrong path. Before long they will see the lie in which they have lived. Lying goes side by side with killing and stealing. Rid yourself of the habits and vices of your past so that you can love your father, your mother, and your neighbour. How should you love your neighbour? As yourself. Who are you, and who is your mother and your father? Your body is you, your soul is your mother, and your Spirit is your father. Man is a child of his soul. So, the body is the child of the soul. The soul cares for the body like a mother, bringing it up and teaching it good manners. Some ask if they will be using their present body for their life in the other world. They mean to ask: is the body related to the soul and the Spirit, i.e. is it related to its mother and father? The son should be decent; he should bring joy to his mother and his father. He should honour and respect them. The mother and the father are inside oneself, not outside. The day when you transgress the law of God and stop honouring your mother and your father, and stop loving your neighbour you will find yourself outside the conditions for Life. Apply Christ’s Teaching every moment of your Life, and you will see that it is a teaching of Life and Strength. If you are not well disposed pay closer attention to your Life to find out which of the three commandments you have transgressed. All you need is to be sincere with yourself and you will know which commandment exactly you have transgressed: you shall not murder, you shall not steal or you shall not bear false witness. Christ says, “If you want to be perfect, go sell what you have, and give to the poor; and come, follow Me!” To whom are you going to give your possessions? To your thoughts and intentions. Whom are you going to follow? The Great Teacher of Life. When people read this verse they start discussing it. They are afraid that if they give away their possessions, and give up their house and their money they will become poor and will lose the conditions for development. God does not want your properties. He does not need your houses, or your money. The word “possessions” implies something else: only he, who is ready to express the Good that has been invested in him, is able to give away his possessions, for the Good in man makes up his possessions. Good is linked to the law of Love. When compassion and Love are active inside man, he is then ready to express the Good and do good deeds. Good cannot exist, i.e. it cannot be expressed outside of compassion and Love. There is not a single man in the world who can do good without having a good thought or a good intention in him. It is said, “Honour your mother and father.” The mother and the father represent the object of your Love and your neighbour represents the impulse that urges you to express your Love. The mother and the father are symbolic of the strong, and your neighbour is symbolic of the weak. Man is capable of loving only what is tender, weak, and endearing, and in need of help. You can honour and respect the strong, but it is the weak that you can love. The Scriptures say, “God is Love.” Who knows God as Love: he, who is weak, sinful, or feeble does. Therefore, be happy if you are weak because this gives you the opportunity to know Love and become strong; be happy if you are sinful because this gives you the opportunity to know Love and become just. It is said in the Gospel that God punishes the ones He loves. Along these lines, one can say, “God forgives the sins of the ones He loves.” This same law exists in nature, too. If you observe Animals you will notice that they, too, are careful and tender towards the weak creatures. This same law acts among people, too. Be happy if you are in the hands of someone who is strong, but also noble and good, for he will help you and elevate you. Woe to the one falls in the hands of someone who is rude and cruel, and who lacks nobility, for such a person is like an octopus: he sticks his tentacles into the weak, sucks out his juices and throws him away. Some religious and worldly people do the same: when they find someone who is weak and good they stick their tentacles into him, empty out his money pouch, and then let him go, saying, “We turned him to God”, or “We introduced him to Life and gave him knowledge.” This is no turning to God, at all; this is no science, at all. Such a person will not think again of your God or of your Knowledge. If you want to help someone you should never empty out his money pouch, and you should never turn his heart and mind to God. What you should do, instead, is let him look for God and turn to Him on his own. If you want to help someone you need to find the key to his door and tell him, “Take this key that you once lost, and open the door to your house. Then clean your house, open your windows so that the Sun can enter it and brighten it up.” It is man’s natural duty to clean his house himself, rather than letting the servants clean it for him. Your house is the temple of God, which was built specifically and only for you. What will happen if all temples were brought together to one place? This will produce disturbance in the whole world. It is about this same temple that Christ says, “Go into your room and pray to your Father Who sees in secret.” This secret room is the temple of the human soul. Entering the temple of one’s soul means getting rid of all anger and discontentment, and all hatred and jealousy. Anger and discontentment lead to killing; killing leads to stealing, and these two together lead to lying, which is the greatest vice in human Life. The first four commandments - you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not commit adultery, and you shall not bear false witness - tell man what he should not do. The second three commandments - honour your father and your mother, and you shall love your neighbour as yourself - tell man what he should do. So, man should honour his father and his mother, and love his neighbour. Man’s neighbours are his good thoughts and intentions through which he can get rid of the bad thoughts and desires, and put them under better conditions, i.e. he can cultivate and discipline them. By loving your neighbours you plant in your garden the best fruit through which you can transform the bad thoughts and desires into good ones. With these commandments Christ wanted to draw the Jews’ attention to the meaning of Life, to loving each other, and to turning away from killing, for according to their laws then they used to murder for naught. For that reason they did not have a long-standing kingdom. There are people and peoples who apply the old Jewish laws to this day, and all these people murder, lie, and steal all the time. If you follow the history of the European peoples you will see that they have led numerous wars and crusades with the goal of freeing Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be free when people stop murdering, stealing, committing adultery and bearing false witness. Now I want each one of you to trace your Life from its beginning to this day and say, “From this day on I’m putting an end to all lying, stealing, murdering and committing adultery.” Then if you turn to Christ and ask him what else you need in order to inherit eternal Life, he will answer by saying, “Go sell what you have, and give it to the poor; and come, follow Me!” Who are those poor? They are your neighbours. Some mornings you wake up joyous, in a good disposition and content with Life. What is the cause of your good disposition? The reason is in your neighbours that live in you. Consequently, if you want to maintain this disposition, you need to love your neighbours. The noble and bright things that you carry in your mind and in your heart represent a great world to you: your happiness. If you are looking for Christ you will find Him in your good thoughts, feelings and desires. They are the true connections, the true ties of your Life; you can use them to weave the connecting rope that will take you up to Heaven. The Scriptures say, “I drew you in with my Love.” So, Love is a combination of the connections of what is Good, Wise and Just, and these can elevate man into the sublime world. Only Love is capable of introducing man into the Kingdom of God. If you want to be happy you should apply Love into your Life. This way you will try the power behind Christ’s Teaching. People today complain of suffering and misfortunes, and they look for a way to get rid of those. They can do that only if they change their thinking. The old thoughts need to be replaced with new ones. By thinking right, in the new way, man understands that the same thing that yesterday caused him grief today can cause him joy. Man will not be afraid, then, if he were to lose his possessions or his social status, for his riches and his dignity depend on him. He carries inside all the conditions for being rich, strong, and healthy. Even if he were to lose his mother and father he will know that they are not really lost, for they are in him. The external mother and father are a reflection of the internal ones who live inside man. You have it all hidden inside you. All you need is to maintain good thoughts and feelings in your mind and heart, and you will have all the riches of the whole world at your disposal. Then you will not be poor, but will be able to give from yourself like a spring gives constantly. Open up your soul -the treasury of your Life and give generously. This treasury is full of riches and good seeds that need to be sown into the Divine field. Do not think that you are poor. God has given you everything, but you do not know how to use Life’s goods. Do not think that happiness is in the material riches. Man is required to have wisdom. The wise man uses correctly the goods that he is given and that is why he is rich. Man’s unhappiness is not due to the lack of goods; it is due to the fact that he prevents the good thoughts and feelings inside him from being expressed externally. In other words, man does not allow God Who is inside him to manifest Himself. God whispers quietly in your ear, “Do good.” “I don’t want to,” you object. “Let me do it then,” says God. “I won’t allow it,” you refuse. Given this situation, do you think that you can be happy, and that you can find God? Where is God? God is inside you. Open your heart and he will manifest Himself. Man cries, suffers and loses heart because he is not aware of all the goods and riches he carries inside. This is the real meaning of the Bulgarian saying, “He’s wading in water, but dying of thirst.” If you Love God you will acquire everything that you desire. Without God man will not be able to keep either his riches, or his Strength. According to a Bulgarian folk tale, once God and St. Peter decided to go down to people and walk around the world to see how people live. After walking from one town and village to another they found themselves in the outskirts of a town, and went into poor people’s house to spend the night. Their hosts were simple and cordial people who welcomed them well: they cooked them dinner, and let them rest. St. Peter was so content with the poor people’s hospitality that he asked God upon leaving, “Lord, why don’t you help these good people get rid of their poverty?” “May it be as you wish,” God said. As soon as he said that the little poor house turned into a big good-looking house, and their hosts turned into rich, well-dressed masters who were now surrounded by many servants. The host, now surrounded by riches and opulence, took to easy living, and excessive eating and drinking. He would now eat, drink and not move a finger to do any work. God and St. Peter went on with their walk around the world. A few years later they found themselves back in the same town where once they had stayed with the poor family and St. Peter asked if they could stay with them again and see how their life was as rich people. God and St. Peter knocked on the door of the now rich house and their good hostess answered the door. She invited them in politely, gave them food and let them spend the night in her house to rest from their travels. However, her face was now gaunt and sad as if something was eating her. After helping them settle in the guest room she warned them that they might hear shouting, banging and raging in the middle of the night. She explained with sadness that this was her husband who drank excessively, and would come home late and be drunk and would not be able to control himself. Before going to bed, God told St. Peter to take the bed that was closer to the door. No sooner had they fallen asleep than they heard banging, shouting, and raging and realized that the husband had returned home from his feast. He went from one room to another, opening doors, slamming and breaking things looking for trouble. Finally, he went into the guest room. When he saw that there was a stranger sleeping in the bed he took a stick and beat him up, shouting, “Here’s for sleeping in a stranger’s house when the master of the house is not there.” After all the racket subsided a little, St. Peter asked God, “Let us change our places so that he does not beat me up again if he comes back.” So, they changed their places. However, the drunk host had not come down yet. He returned to the guest room, thinking to himself, “Let me throw him a few more punches to teach him a lesson to remember.” He raised his stick in the air, but then St. Peter moved and caught the drunk man’s attention. He looked closely in the dark and noticed that there was a person in the second bed, too, whom he had not seen before. “Oh,” he said, “Here comes your turn now. I just beat up your friend and now I’m going to beat you up, too.” This way it was St. Peter again who took the beating. At dawn St. Peter urged God, “Let’s get going lest he should come a third time and beat me up again.” God and St. Peter threw on their clothes in a hurry, washed their faces and were ready to leave the house. God, then, waved his handkerchief in the air, and the house caught on fire and burned up. This is how St. Peter got away without being beaten up for a third time. When does one live only to eat and drink? When he favours his flesh first and foremost, i.e. when he favours his lowly instincts first and foremost. In a situation like this, if St. Peter prays for you he will be beaten up a few times as a consequence. Therefore, be careful not to pray for acquiring material goods before you have established your connection with God. You may feed the wolf all you want, but he will always remain a wolf; you may take care of the snake, the mosquito or the louse, but you will not be able to change their nature; you may look after a sinner, taking all the care in the world, but you cannot right his ways. Hunger and suffering are the only things that can help a sinner right his ways. Once he has reached the end of his suffering he will be able to realize his situation, and will repent; through repenting and prayer he will gradually become righteous again. If you see someone who complains a lot about his difficulties and suffering, you should know that his hardships are just beginning. Such a man is yet to go through suffering before he acquires a milder attitude, repents and starts humbling himself. Man’s task is to work on himself, be healthy, strong and wise. Through having good thoughts and intentions man can acquire health, Strength and a chance to apply his Wisdom. This is what is required of all people: men, women and children. If this happens all societies will be magically transformed. When the parts are in good order, then the whole organism will be in good order. To common people things happen slowly, but to wise men things happen at once, for they know the laws and they do not abuse them. If a common man works with the great laws of Being he can destroy the world in a day. This is why God does not give great knowledge to common people, for they still apply Moses’ laws: they murder, steal, bear false witness, etc. What should man do in order to leave the common life? He should establish a connection with God Who now works in the world. You, too, should work with Him if you want to take part in the Kingdom of God. Working together with God means applying Love; Love is the Divine mother that Christ advises us to honour. Only he, who loves can honour his mother and father. Such a man is good, just and noble. Someone complains that people do not love him. How can you love someone who does not honour his father and mother? Woe to that young woman who marries a man, who does not honour his mother and father! Woe to that young man who marries a woman, who does not honour her mother and father. God loves and blesses those young women and men, who honour their mother and father. He who wants to be loved by his neighbour should learn to honour his mother and father first. This is a law that acts throughout the whole Being. Love cannot be manifested outside of this law. You need to honour your soul and your Spirit, and you need to honour your neighbour’s soul and Spirit and you will be God’s beloved children. If God loves you, people will love you, too. He, who does not honour his father and mother, is a miserable man. He, who does not love his neighbour, is a miserable man, too. Such a man is a sinner, and he is doomed to suffer. This is what Christ meant when he said, “If you want to be perfect, honour your father and your mother, i.e. your Spirit and your soul; love your neighbour as yourself; go sell what you have, and then come, follow Me.” Whom should man follow? Man should follow Him, Who is the source of everything: the Original Source of Life. Following God will bring meaning to your Life and will turn your suffering into music, and your hunger and poverty into a pleasant task. Under these circumstances man is no longer afraid of hunger and privation. He does not worry about the daily bread, for he knows that God has taken care of his needs. He does not worry about how he will get bread. How were the Jews able to spend forty years in the desert? He, Who liberated them from slavery took care of their needs and made sure they had food and water. Man does not get his food from one source alone. Give away your possessions and worry not about where your next possessions will come from. You cannot pour clean water into the bottle unless you pour the dirty water out first. Empty out your money pouches if you are to fill them up again. Empty out your bottles and your money pouches so that God can fill them up with pure water and pure food. Empty out your hearts from the old feelings so that God can put into them new feelings and new warmth that will transform them. This is the meaning of the verse, “I will take away their hearts of stone, and I will give them new hearts.” Modern people are afraid of Life’s conditions, and want to know what will become of them. Bulgarians want to know what will become of Bulgaria. Nothing bad will happen. Bulgaria will continue to exist. God says today, “If people listened to Me I would say only one word and the war would end. But because they don’t listen I will let them fight until they learn.” Many people who do not honour their father and mother, and do not love their neighbour still live according to Moses’ laws. To this day there are still people-parasites. We do not need parasites. The world needs good people; it needs beautiful flowers that spread their fragrance everywhere. The world needs noble souls and hearts; it needs wise mothers, fathers and children. This is what God wants. This is what Christ preached two thousand years ago. Today people are divided into religious and worldly: the former believe in God and the latter deny God. The time is coming when they will be given even more proof that God exists. Then even the blind will be able to see, but if they are not ready to accept the new Light they will become even more miserable than they used to be. This is the reason some blind people’s eyes do not open. The world of intelligent Beings wants to spare them, and leaves them blind so they won’t suffer even more. This is also why not all people can be rich. Do not give money to those who do not know how to use it, for if they become rich before it is their time they will cause great trouble both to themselves and to their neighbours. Therefore, no matter what difficulties and tribulations you go through, remember that it is all Good, it is all for the better. What you need is a living, staunch belief to help you overcome everything. Work on yourselves, and work on the world, as well, to make it a nobler place. There was a time when people would leave the world; they would take to the mountain and the desert, and there they would live in service of God. Today the message to everyone is that you should enter the world and work in it. There was a time when people would leave hell, and fear it. Today they live in hell and work for the elevation of those fallen souls that have taken the stray path. It is now time for you to forgo your old convictions and tear down your old houses. The old is being torn down, the new is being built. The stage needs to be constantly renewed; we cannot keep replaying the same drama over and over again. God does not like monotony. As long as he lives in Moses’ law man serves evil by murdering, lying, stealing, committing adultery, etc. As long as he serves evil, man lives according to the law of being born and reincarnating. Once he turns away from this law he can start serving the Good, and enters the law of embodiment. Living according to this law means living according to these commandments, “Honour your father and mother, love your neighbour, and give away all your riches to the poor.” He, who observes the seven commandments, lives in the realm of immortality; he can now rest because he has gained salvation for his soul. This means that he has connected his soul to God Who is the source of all goods in Life. People today are afraid of what not, and that makes them think only of material security. A merchant buys simple goods, and then sells them as being something special so that he can earn more than he needs; by doing this he wants to secure himself materially. Why won’t he tell the Truth and say that the fabric he sells is not pure wool, but is mixed with cotton? If he always speaks the Truth his business will be better than if he tells lies. Whatever post you occupy you should always be honest and truthful. If you want to be free you should always speak the truth. Do not force anyone to do something that he does not want to do. Do not force your soul, either. Some young man does not want to get married but his relatives fool him into getting married. Afterwards he is sorry for giving in to other people’s advice. Do not force others if you don’t want to be forced. Do not lie to others if you don’t want to be lied to. Be true to your soul, and to your Spirit. Be true to your Teacher. Be true to the One Who has given you everything. He will enter your temple, wash His hands and feet, and will present gifts to you: holy oil, myrrh, and frankincense. Then he will say, “The time of your salvation has come!” Clean out your temple so that the Saviour can enter. If you want to clean out your temple, you need to learn to regard your neighbour with benevolence. Think only Good of him. The bad things that you see are related to his past Life. Today he strives for Goodness and will become good. The bad will become better than the ones that pass as good today. My task is to help all who are lame, blind or limping restore their health and rejoice in Life. All deserts need to turn into oases of Life where the weary traveler can rest and quench his thirst. All empty spaces need to be planted with fruit trees, so that everyone who passes by them should be given something. The stranger will stop before them and partake of their sweet fruit. Rid your thought of all negative traits: doubt, hesitation, and suspicion. You can doubt anyone, but never doubt God! He is kind and unchangeable. He remains the same under all conditions of your Life, and in the face of all your acts and attitudes. He is always ready to help you as long as you are ready to listen to Him. If you do not listen to Him He will let you suffer the consequences of your life and your mistakes, and then you will see for yourself what it means to live without God. The human soul knows no greater suffering than to stray away from God. How can man go back to the right path? Look at what the child does when it makes its mother sad: as soon as it realizes what it has done it goes to her and starts crying. Crying is his prayer. It cries and begs its mother to accept it back into her arms. Here’s what I’m telling you now: Go to God like the child goes to its mother. He is your Father and your Mother. If you want to be honoured by your sons and daughters you need to establish a connection with God. You will see that your life will become better before even a year has passed. As soon as you try this out you will have new thoughts in your mind and you will be able to see. Then you will have not only two eyes, but a hundred: you will have eyes on the front of your head and in the back, and also on both sides, on top and underneath, etc. Someone complains that he has been working a lot, but has not been able to see yet. He cannot see yet because he lacks that living faith which can open the eyes of the blind. I believe in your soul and I believe in your potential and I know that you will be able to see one day. Even if you do something bad, even if you make a mistake or do some mischief, your soul will remain unchanged. I like sinful people who repent, and that is why I lend a helping hand to all weak, ignorant, and sinners. This could be a weakness, but Christ had a weak spot for sinners, too. He passed His test: He let Himself be taunted, ridiculed and crucified, but then He came back to life on the third day. Now I wish you to share the same weakness: love those who repent and help them. “Come and follow Me”, says Christ. “Follow You in what?” “Follow Me in what I’ve been teaching you.” Lecture by the Master, delivered on February 25, 1917, in Sofia.
  12. All things have been delivered to me by my Father...1 "All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." No one knows the Son but the Father; and no one knows the Father but the Son. The word knowing is related to the human mind. If it is not ready to comprehend the meaning of the great idea "of knowing" the mind cannot understand the relationship that exists between the Father and the Son. Here we have two values: Father and Son. They can be examined as the numbers 1:3. What do we understand by the number 1? This number is a symbol, that for some people has meaning and for others does not — all depends on their mind. When you say "one" you may understand a man, a woman, or a child, but you can think also of a horse, a cow, or a calf, etc. When you say the word "man" you think that you know what man is, but if you are asked to give a more precise definition, you will find yourselves in a difficult situation. It is easy to say "my son" or "my daughter" but even these words are not very clear to you. You have an idea about the daughter or the son as far as you understand the relationship that exists between you. Yet the true relationship depends upon the ties that exist between your soul and the soul of him whom you call your son or your daughter. The number "one" is the father, and the number "three" — the child, the son or the daughter. As mathematical ratio, the numbers 1:3 represent the relation of the diameter of the circle to its length: D:P. The number P=3.14. This means that the diameter is contained in the circle 3.14 times; we are using only the whole number - three. This will say that the father indicates the measure of the human path, and the son — the circumference of this path. And so when we say that no one knows the Son, we imply all the possible combinations through which he passes. When the diameter rotates around itself it forms a sphere or a ball, which indicates the possibilities and conditions which the Son brings. Do not think that it is easy to come to know the Son, to turn him like a wheel one time and to say that you have understood its movement. And when you say "diameter", again you have not understood the deep meaning of the unit. In relation to the number three, i.e. the length of the circle, the unit is diameter, but it is the unit in respect to innumerable more numbers. In mathematics all numbers begin with the unit. We pronounce the numbers one, two, three, etc. They represent the diameters drawn in a circle. The number seven represents the diameter of the universe. These are abstract, mystical ideas, that man will understand when he will be able to penetrate into the deep meaning of life. In this sense every one must understand the place and position which he occupies in nature. A man can be in the position of a mineral, a plant, an animal and lastly in the position of true man. Until he comes to this position he learns to distinguish and understand things. He passes through the minerals, studies them, and when he learns their properties, he separates the precious stones from the ordinary ones and begins to adorn himself with them. When he passes through the plants and animals, again he studies them: he cultivates them, he feeds them, he enjoys them, until one day he starts to pick and to kill them, using them for food. The husband comes home from work dissatisfied and angry, but when he sees that his wife has cooked a chicken or lamb, that she has set the table and has placed some fruit on it, he becomes well disposed and cheerful and starts eating with pleasure. He thinks that he has understood his wife, but this is true only for a few hours. The stomach is emptied and a new uproaring, a new discontent rises until the hunger is satisfied. In the same position are the wife and the children. All complain that they do not know and understand each other. What is understanding? To know things will say to master them, it means that they have become part of you - your flesh and blood. To know the horse, does not mean to harness him and lead him after yourselves; to know the elements does not mean to put them in flasks and keep them sealed. Knowledge implies conscious, inner relation between things. Such relationship can exist only in love. This will say that if you have love you will know things, if you lack love you will know nothing. Some one says that he is dying of love. He may die without understanding love. With dying one cannot find love. When a young maid cannot attain her ideal, i.e. she cannot marry the man of her heart, she says that she will die. This indicates that she wants to attain love but love cannot be found through death. When we speak about the home, about the mother, the father, the children, we imply certain relationships of souls that are tied together through love. When we speak about the church, again we understand the relationship of souls to something, that represents God's presence, or the presence of love. Some people say that outside the church there is no salvation, I interpret this statement thus: Outside of love there is no salvation. Without love things are dead, unconscious, mechanical. Christ says: "No one knows the Father but the Son." This will say that he who has no love cannot know the Father; he who has love can come to know him. It has been said: "God is love". Therefore only love can know itself. You can come to know an object if you have its properties; you can come to know your friend who is a well-known philosopher only if you have a philosophical mind, and are able to understand his ideas. Two people, one of which has a heart and soul, and the other has not yet manifested them, cannot understand each other. - Why? - Because they do not have the same properties. Some woman complains that her husband cannot understand her. - He has not yet come to know God and she wants that he may understand her. As long as man has not come yet to know God he cannot come to know anybody. He who does not know the Son cannot come to know the thinking beings, he cannot come to know also God. Accept this idea in your mind and in your heart and apply it in your lives. Christ says: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. My yoke is easy and my burden is light." Christ appeals to all who are burdened to come to him and he will teach them how to wear their burden easier. "No one can come to me if the Father did not reveal Himself." The Son is the object to which each soul aspires, and the Father is the power that attracts the souls to this object. When a young man is attracted by a young maid, she is the object of attraction and the power that attracts him is love, i.e. the Father of whom Christ is speaking. Man must study love, God. How will he attain it? — Through the Son. This means that the Son, or the inner intelligence in man must teach him to recognize his Father, in order to be able to understand his relationship to himself as well as to his neighbor. Modern men occupy themselves with many questions, but 99 percent of these questions are unimportant and inessential. Only one of all 100 questions is essential. All other questions move around this essential and central question and for this reason they represent its food. When you explore the egg carefully you will find in it one important and essential cell — the embryo, around which are gathered all other cells. These represent the conditions and the medium for its development. Out of this essential cell will emerge the new life. In this sense I say: many things are necessary for the knowledge of the Son but one is essential — you must take his yoke. The yoke implies the relationship toward the external and internal conditions of life. Therefore you can come to know God only when you take His yoke and are ready to serve Him. To serve God will say to be ready to study with love all subjects. The external or objective world with all its manifestations represents object lessons for him who is ready to serve God. Is it not the same also in the earthly schools? In whatever school you may enrole - elementary, high school or college, the teachers or professors give lessons and problems which you must solve. These are object-lessons for you. He who is ready to serve his teachers with love will study everything as he is taught. God has created the world for us and not for himself. All animate and inanimate objects that surround us have their purpose. That this is so we can see from our organs. We have two eyes, two ears, a nose, mouth, chin, hands, and feet with five fingers on each of them — all this has its magnificent purpose. You may say that the ears are given man to hear and receive sounds, the eyes — to see and distinguish things. Besides this external purpose, the eyes and the ears have an inner, psychic significance. Truly, we meet people that can see and hear but who do not understand that which they hear nor that which they see. "No one knows the Son but the Father." By the word "son" we understand the rational beginning in man. Few fathers today can understand their sons. Some father is glad that a son is born to him because he expects that the son will work for him. This indicates that he looks upon his son as a servant. Many fathers have a wrong understanding about their sons. They think that the sons are obliged to tolerate everything that the fathers are doing. Even if they make loans and waste their properties they say that the sons will remain to pay off. Such fathers do not have a proper relationship to their sons but the sons, too, do not have a proper relationship to their fathers. Right relationships are those based on love. The son should not count on the wealth of his father, but the father, too should not misuse the love of his son, to expect of him. Both should be ready to sacrifice for each other. When love is present between them it is natural that the two will work together and will help each other. These are correct relations between father and son. I wish that in the future, when a young man and a maid marry they do not ask if they love each other. These are questions that love does not tolerate. Often the young man and the maid marry without to love each other but they say that they love each other. This is not permitted. Love excludes every falsehood. Do not ask if you love each other but rather ask the other partner if he is ready to sacrifice for you. If he tells you that he wants to enjoy life, he is not the right one for her. The inner meaning of life is in sacrifice, in self-sacrifice. Therefore the inner knowledge of the Son implies the law of sacrifice. Only he can sacrifice himself who knows the Son. When a man sacrifices himself he becomes strong. When you put water in a boiler and start heating it, it turns into steam and becomes stronger than it was before when it was in its natural state as water. Self-sacrifice implies a law through which one state can be changed into another, a negative thought can be changed into a positive one, and a negative feeling — into positive. If a solid body changes into liquid and the liquid — into gaseous, one can say that the law of sacrifice is at work. If you can change a negative thought or a negative feeling into positive here again operates the same law. If you do not sacrifice yourself how could you transform hatred into love? You say that you hate someone. Since you hate him you are in the state of being hard like ice. Nothing remains but that, you self-sacrifice, i.e. you expose yourself to fire that will change the ice into water, and the water into vapor. As long as there is water on earth there will be life also. All plants, animals, and people will use it. "No one knows the Son but the Father." What have you understood by the word "no one?" - No one is everyone who is not ready for self-sacrifice. This means that he who cannot self-sacrifice does not know the Son. The Son is the law of self-sacrifice. In respect to this law the chicken is in a higher position than the man who is not ready for self-sacrifice. Such a man is dead. The chicken that sacrifices itself for the good of man has a higher value in the face of God. In the Scripture it is said that no bird falls to the ground without the will of God. God participates in the life of all creatures - from the smallest to the largest. If in the eyes of God you are a bird that is ready to sacrifice itself for the others do you need to fear life? God takes care of you. To think of God means to live for the highest ideal in the world. To think of yourself will say to live in confinement. There is nothing harder for man than to live in a prison, in confinement. In self-sacrifice is hidden the knowledge of The Son. He who knows the Son is free. Christ has spoken of the sacrifice as a great process that takes place in the consciousness of man. As long as this process does not take place in man one cannot speak of knowing Christ. What knowledge is this if one does not understand the deep meaning of Christ's words? Christ said "I am the true wine". Who knows the story of the wine? Each year the wine sacrifices but few people realize its sacrifice. Christ also said "I am the living bread that came from heaven." How many people understand the meaning of this bread? The question about the bread is a social one. All societies and nations are trying to solve it. All people value the bread and realize that without it there is no life. One young man was telling his experience, by which he understood the true value of the bread. It came to pass that he had to suffer hunger for three days. He was so hungry that he looked for a way to find from somewhere a bite of bread to satisfy his hunger that was torturing him so much. As he was walking on the street he saw a dog carrying a piece of bread in his mouth. Without thinking too much he took a stone and threw it at the dog who, running, away, let the piece of bread fall to the ground. Without hesitating he picked up the bread and started eating it. Concluding, he said that he had to suffer hunger a few days in order to learn the value of bread. Christ says, "I am the gate, I am the good shepherd, I am the son of man, I am a teacher and adviser". These are relations of the Son to his neighbor, of the divine to the human soul. When I speak of God I do not have in mind an abstract, far off idea, but I have in mind Him Who has created the intelligent life and whom we can always try out. It is enough to pray sincerely to God for the health of some sick person and our prayer will be heard and answered. Help comes very soon when we obey the law of sacrifice. Pray to God without trying to tempt Him. When does man tempt God? - When his thoughts are in discord with God's thoughts, when he leads a sinful life. He who does not think about the future does not care to know if he leads a good life or a bad one. As long as he is on earth he does not care, but one day he will appear in front of his Creator to give account of his life. What will His answer be? God's light is so great that all his thoughts, desires and deeds will be lit up, will become objective and will start walking behind this man like a little child walks behind his mother. How will you cope with this situation? Then you will understand that there is nothing hidden. As long as you have been on earth you could hide many things even from yourselves, but in front of the great light nothing can be hidden, then you will understand that it is not indifferent if you have lived well or bad. No one knows the Son but the Father. Who is this no one? - He who lives for himself and does not know the law of sacrifice. First God has sacrificed Himself. He gave His Son for sacrifice so that no one who believes in Him shall parish. Through His Son He manifested His love for humanity, and the Son sacrificed himself in order to reveal His Father. These are mutual relationships of love and sacrifice that must be well understood. When we understand the relationship of God to us as our Father, and our relationship to God as His sons only then will our lives gain full meaning. Yet we cannot be sons of God as long as we do not self-sacrifice. Implant into your mind the thought that outside of love there exists no life; outside of love there exists no church, outside of love no families, societies or nations can exist. The only church that can unite humanity is God's love, the love of self-sacrifice. In it are included all idealistic people, all people who are selfless. What are these two states — self-seeking and selflessness? They can be illustrated with the rich and the poor who appeared in front of God to express their desires. First appeared the rich who started to demand: God, I want a big house, a palace, well furnished and trim, about ten servants to work for me, to serve the table with tastefull food, fruits and the best wines, so that I may eat and drink and have nothing to worry about. - Let it be according to Thy will, answered God. After that appeared the poor and said: I have only one desire — always to see Thy face! Let it be according to thy will! Both of them satisfied with that which was promised to them returned to earth and each one lived in his own style. The rich lived in a palace surrounded by his servants; he ate and drank, enjoyed himself and felt happy and satisfied. In this manner, days and years passed, until one day he felt that he was beginning to suffocate. It came to his mind to pray to God: God, I started to suffocate, I am sick of this condition. Teach me what to do. Immediately came an angel, opened a little window in his palace and told him: Look out! The rich man looked out and saw a tall ladder and on the highest point was the poor man looking out somewhere into the sky. - What is this man doing there? - asked the rich man. - He wanted always to look at God's face -answered the angel. For long years in a row he looks at God's face, he breathes freely, enjoys God's world and is not tired of it yet. Two states are presented to man: to be in the condition of the rich and to get suffocated by his wealth, or to be in the position of the poor, always to contemplate upon the face of God and never to have enough of it. To stand on the top of a high ladder and to look at the face of God from these without repletion means to know God. It is time to come to know Christ of whom has been preached already for two thousand years. Many people are considered to be Christian but they have not yet come to know Christ. What kind of Christianity is this when a brother coerces, robs and exorts his brother? Can this be called love? In love there is no violence, fear, bitterness. He who fears does not know love. Someone fears death. What can be terrifying about death? He who loves does not fear death, nor evil. There exists only one God in the world from whom everything emerges. What will we fear then? He who fears knows not God, knows not love. God is love. If this is true do not fear death nor the evil. God is life. If you live in God, death does not exist. Thank for the evil because God has put it to work to stimulate man to be active and to work out the inert matter in him. The evil creates in man contradictions, doubts, in order to produce in him friction which generates fire. Fire melts the solid substances, brings in them activity. When two solid bodies come in contact friction occurs between them that generates heat. Be glad when you collide with the solid, inert matter in you so that light and flames can be produced. What does the fire and light represent in man? The fire is a result of his passions and desires, and light — of his thoughts. Without fire and light no life can exist. All hard fusible metals in the fire melt; the fire burns all impurities and turns them into ashes. The fruit ripens in the light; in the light one gains knowledge. He who understands things in this manner gives meaning to his life. Be glad and thankful for everything that love brings. As long as love is with you, you are blessed. When it leaves you, with it you lose joy also. In order that love may not abandon you think about your relation to God with your heart and spirit. Christ says: "Only those with pure hearts will see God." Seeing implies knowledge; knowledge implies inner contact with love. "Come to me all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Christ is showing how a heavy-laden man can be given rest. Many years ago an American missionary was traveling in America in order to raise funds for charity. When he had raised a considerable amount he decided to return and deliver the money to its destination. In order to shorten his way he saddled a horse and passed through a mountainous area. When a well-known robber heard about the considerable sum of money that the missionary was carrying with him he hid in the woods where the missionary had to pass with the intention of killing him and taking the money. The missionary approached the place where the highwayman was hiding and felt a heaviness in his chest, as if something was choking him. He interpreted this feeling as warning, descended from the horse, prayed to God and relieved, he continued his journey. Hardly did he pass a few yards and he could see a well armed man standing in the woods but without fear he passed him. A few years later the same missionary was asked to confess someone who was dying. At his arrival the man looked at the missionary and asked him if he can recognize him. The missionary answered: I do not know you. - But I know you and will tell you under which circumstances I have met you. This happened several years ago. I had decided to wait for you in a woody place when you were carrying a large sum of money. I wanted to kill you and rob the money, but I could not decide to do this because with you was riding a well armed man in white clothes seated on a white horse. I was filled with fear and could not attempt your life. In this case the highwayman was a clairvoyant. He could see that which even the missionary could not see. The man who was riding the white horse was sent from the invisible world to protect the missionary. Modern man refuse to believe in spirits. Nevertheless they read the bible where it is said: "And the angels of the Lord were ascending and descending." As the angels ascend and descend so the devils also descend and ascend. This indicates that the ones as the others obey the will of God and the divine laws. There is no power in the world nor a being that does not obey God. The wise man makes use of the good and the evil spirits. He knows the law of transformation and applies it. Christ says: "Take my yoke upon yourselves and learn from me, because I am gentle and meek in my heart and you will find peace for your souls." Many think that they have conquered the world, that they have great power, but when they are tried they realize how far they have reached, what power they possess and what they can accomplish with it. Modern man is not yet completely formed; he should not deceive himself by temporary success. One day when his eyes will open he will see that everything that surrounds him is living; then he will understand why is there hatred and love, evil and good, lie and truth. This indicates knowledge of God, and of Christ. Christ says: "If my words remain with you and you in me, whatever you ask in my name shall be given to you." This would mean that if you understand the rational Word, if you realize what your relationship to God ought to be, your lives will be a blessing to you as well as to your neighbors. Father and Son these are the numbers one and three. When you substract one from three you have the number two — divine love, mother of all things. This is called in Christianity the Holy Spirit, i.e. the inner power of man that purifies his mind and heart. One thing is expected of people to make contact with Christ. If once you come in touch with him, he will be with you in eternity, with all your joys and sorrows, in life and death. He is the gate that brings man from the transitory into the eternal, from the visible into the invisible, from hatred into love. Christ is the living bread, bearer of life. Christ is the master who teaches us the divine laws. When man understands correctly the Christian teaching he feels powerful to fulfill his obligations toward The Primary Reason, toward his neighbor and toward himself. "Come to me all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Only he who is connected with Christ can come to God. The tie is based on love and judiciousness. There can exist no connection between two people if they do not like each other; there can be no connection between those who do not understand each other. Only he can come to Christ who knows the law of self-sacrifice. In general a connection can exist where there is something in common. For example on the exterior the diamond and the coal do not resemble; the diamond is solid and crystal, the coal is black and is not crystal. From within they have something in common: they both are of one and the same substance - carbon. Coal can be turned into a diamond. On the same basis can the human soul change from coal to a diamond, i.e. to pass into the highest position - into superconscious life. When two people raise to this state, to their superconscious, they will always recognize each other, they will always understand each other. When they meet they will not ask, do you know me, what do you think of me, etc. These are questions that exist only among people on the ordinary level of consciousness. When they do not know each other people are ready to doubt one another. Everyone seeks to find in his neighbor some ulterior purpose. How can we distinguish between someone who has turned his face to God, and one who is far from Him? Make the examination first with yourself to know if you are facing God or you are far from Him. This you can find out from your shadow. When your shadow falls behind you, you are close to God, you face God. When your shadow falls in front of you, you are far from God. It is not the question of not having a shadow, but it has to fall behind you. Everyone must check where the shadows of his mind, and of his heart fall - in front of him or behind him and give himself an account of his position in which he finds himself. In general your shadow must fall always behind you so that your face may be well seen. When a man errs his shadow falls in front of him. When he corrects his mistake the shadow immediately falls behind him. He who loves, who speaks the truth, his shadow falls always behind him. He who hates and does not speak the truth, his shadow falls in front of him. In the Scripture it is said: "Their deeds walk in front of them." From this one can conclude that the deeds of some people walk behind them. How do you distinguish when your shadow is in front of you, and when behind you? When in your mind enters a bad thought, or in your heart a bad feeling and immediately change into kind, then your shadow is behind you. The opposite is also true, if the illumined thought and kind feeling change into unkind, then your shadow is in front of you. I wish that you may love and know each other. This will say that your shadows may be behind and not in front of your faces. Apply love in your lives as a great basic law of Creation. This is what God wants of all people and all nations on earth. "No one knows the Son but the Father." - Why? - Because the Son has sacrificed himself for his Father. And the Son, too, knows for whore he has sacrificed himself. He who knows the law of sacrifice knows his Father. He who is ready to sacrifice himself will find the way. In other words: Without self-sacrifice the gate to knowledge is closed. Wherever he may knock - on the door to science, art, music, everywhere he will find himself in front of a locked door. Without inner knowledge of the Father and the Son, everything changes into dust and ashes; everything crumbles and parishes, as the roots of trees rot. What tree can thrive without roots? Apply the law of self-sacrifice so that you may find divine life. When one hears spoken of sacrifice immediately comes the fear that one may loose his wealth, become poor. Is he who has millions in the banks happy? He bears a heavy load in his mind. His back is loaded above his powers, and any minute can give in. It is preferable to carry a pound in one's stomach than two hundred pounds on one's back. It is preferable for one to be poor but happy and satisfied with his position, than to be rich and constantly to carry around the thought that he may be robbed or killed. Inner peace is preferable than the greatest external wealth. Yet when you meet rich, learned, or beautiful people be glad that they exist. When you meet evil people again be glad. What would be the world like if there were no good and evil, learned and ignorant, beautiful and ugly people? Since God tolerates the evil, and ugly, the ignorant, we too, must tolerate them. When you apply the law of self-sacrifice you will understand why some people are evil. Years ago in one canton in America, a buffalo began to romp so much that the whole vicinity around was scared, nobody could go and tame him. At last a boy came along who could read the thoughts of the animals and speak to them. He put his hand on the forehead of the buffalo, patted it a few times and started to speak to him: What is wrong with you that you have become wild? - In my rear foot something is bothering me terribly. The boy bent over immediately, took the rear foot of the buffalo that seemed to have bothered him and found that a big fat thorn got stuck in it. The boy took out the thorn, cleaned his foot, wrapped it in a bandage and left him alone. The buffalo stopped raging. You hear a rumor that a woman or a man have become insane. They have not become mad but a thorn got stuck into their mind or heart. Come close to them place your hand on their head and quickly pull out the thorn. As soon as you pull out the thorn they will go back to their normal state. What are most people doing today? They carry with them a hammer and nails and whomever they meet they thrust a nail into him. Why do you have to hurt your neighbor? You may answer that you want to check how much they can take? They drove four nails into Christ and he died. He was a great and mighty spirit but could not endure the human nails. Do you think that the ordinary people can take more? Do not hammer nails into your neighbors, do not create for yourself greater sufferings. It is not an easy thing to put a man on the cross to nail his mind, his heart, his soul, and his spirit and after that to expect him to live. This is impossible! Instead to thrust nails into your neighbor take out the ones that someone else has thrust. When you see that your neighbor is sick in bed help him. - But he is a great sinner. - This is not your responsibility, you are obliged to help him, to give him at least a cup of water. To help your neighbor this is the meaning of the teaching of Christ, who has come to earth and has sacrificed for the whole of humanity. Times of great and heavy trials are coning. Of them it is said in the Scripture: "The anger of God is coming to the world." All will hear the voice of God and will understand if there is justice in this world or not; if there exists good or not; if there exists love or not. This should not scare you but you must know that God's wheel turns constantly, that it follows its way and will never stop to turn. You all must be ready in time to mount it. For this reason you have come to earth as to a great school. When you finish the school you will return to God to take your exams. There it will be checked if you have learned the law of the good and the evil, of love and hatred, of truth and lie. He who has studied his lessons well will remain there to continue to learn and work; he who has not learned them will return to earth to finish his school and become perfect. This is like having final examinations. Who passes all the exams with honor will resurrect and will be appointed to a high service. To pass your final with honor will say to have learned, understood, and applied the five great virtues. For thousands of years it has been spoken and preached about resurrection, I wish that you may pass your final examination, that you may resurrect because the world needs resurrected people. If the Bulgarian nation passes its exams it will resurrect and take a high position; if it does not pass, it will have no profit. This will affect every man, every society, every nation. God has said, "Call me on the day of sorrow and I will help you." Pray for yourselves, for your neighbor, and love your enemies. This Christ said. Why to love our enemies? - So that you may not become like them, and not descend to their level. Treat all with love and not with hatred. He who repays for evil with evil will follow the path of the fallen spirits. Who hates is in accord with those that follow the broad way. The loving person climbs up on the narrow path, and the one that hates descends on the broad way. "All has been passed onto me by my Father; and no one knows the Son but the Father." The son is the divine embryo that every one must water and cultivate so that it may grow and bear fruit. Out from the divine embryo raises the new man ready for a new work and a new life. This embryo lives in every soul but needs the conditions and space for its development. The more you trust your inner powers and possibilities, the sooner it will develop. Whatever difficulties and obstacles you may encounter on your way always say to yourselves: I can be just, loving, meek, humble, good, industrious - I can overcome and accomplish everything with the help of the divine in me. When the people begin to conjugate the verb "can" in the present tense the world will become better. Do not occupy yourselves with your nor with other people's mistakes. The mistakes fertilize the field of God. If your brother has made some mistake do not judge nor estrange him from yourself but help him to clean himself and change into new, clean clothes. If a brother rejects his brother, or the husband his wife, or the wife her husband, then they are acting contrary to the teaching of Christ. Love each other for God's sake. Someone said that he would want to love but he cannot. Why can he not love? Because he has not given place to God in himself. Only God loves and for this reason it is said that God is love. A husband and a wife who in the name of God have lived for each other die with joy as do the martyrs in the name of God. Their name is never forgotten. It is enough if only one person keeps in his mind the memory of you as a living monument worthy of following your example. Christ is already coming to the world sitting on a white horse to preach the Word of God. His voice will be heard everywhere. Like a sword of fire it will penetrate into the minds and the hearts of the people. Whoever cannot stand his light will become blind. Even the evil cannot endure this light — it will melt and disappear. The end of the evil on earth is coming. The divine light will produce reverse results: great darkness will descend on earth and in the souls of the people it will bring great light. Does not the same occur with the earth. When half of it is bathing in light the other half is in darkness. This should not distress you but remember: when you encounter with contradictions on your way this is to indicate that the divine sun has risen already. There are days of shadow that temporarily obstruct his light. Be prepared to make use of the blessings which God is bringing for his chosen ones. Who are the chosen ones? - Those that have illumined thoughts and noble feelings and desires. Today I am preaching of the living Christ, who will speak up through thousand mouths. Many preachers, priests, learned men, philosophers, musicians will appeal to people for work that will bring them inner deliberation. All together we will sing the hymn of God's love. Only this way we will understand what the love that will bring us to God and to the Son is. Only love can rejuvenate man. You may say one should not imagine things that can not be fulfilled. It is important to know what one imagines. There exists imagination that lifts man up toward God. There is imagination that pulls him down and away from God. The astronomer can see with his telescope the most distant stars and an ordinary man even with a telescope can see nothing. He wonders how it is possible that the astronomer can see so many things and at the end he says: everything is imagination. Point your telescope also to the sky, so that you may see God in His glory by which he is surrounded. Try to see Him and to recognize Him so that you may become citizens of the Kingdom of God. Try to find your place as a limb in the divine organism. As soon as you find your place do not fight for the first place. He who filfills his obligations properly is in the first place. Where will be this place? As Bulgarians you will be placed in the hole which the Jews made in the ribs of Christ. It is until today still open. All people, all nations have the same assignment: to fill up the hole in the ribs of Christ which is open already for two thousand years. Christ is already close to the earth. He brings his teaching with which he has decided to turn the earth upside down. He carries a new sign on which it is written: "The Kingdom of God is coming to earth." Whatever may happen with the world the Kingdom of God will be established. This is the decision of God, of the angels, and of all superior beings. Whoever does not believe let him pray to live to see the Kingdom of God realized on the earth. When he will see it then he will believe my words. He that can see with his eyes does not need a proof; he trusts in his eyes. How will the religious people act with Christ when he comes in flesh to earth? As soon as they will see Him they will want to check his preaching so that they may know what he will speak. Christ's preaching stands no revision. It stands no human judgment nor evaluation. This is true not only for Christ but for every one who follows His path. Whoever speaks in the name of Christ his words are accepted without any reservation. Whoever speaks in His name but abuses it is a liar and deceiver. Lie can reign at the most for a hundred years. After that it is caught and nothing will remain of it. The words that I speak to you are truthful and are true not only for today but also for the centuries to come. Today I am giving you seeds that you must plant in your gardens. The seeds do not belong to me but to Him who has created you and has sent you to the earth to study. Christ is coming to earth to bring God's love to all people. When they will join hands for mutual love, for brotherhood and equality, Christ will enter his church that is not built by human hands to teach people the law of sacrifice out of love and not by force. God will raise every soul and will put it in the right place. This means for man to learn the inner meaning of life. I wish you to recognize the Son and the Father not as people are teaching you, but from your inner experience. Can you say that the bread is good if you have not tasted it? Try it yourselves and after that give your opinion. Even in the Scripture it is said: "Try everything but keep the good." In conclusion I will give you the following rule: If you want to know if you are close to God or far away from Him see where your shadow points. If it is behind your back you are close to God; if it is in front of your face this will indicate that you are far from Him. Aspire to come to know Christ as the Wine, as the Living Bread, as the Gate, as the Shepherd, as the Son of man, as the Teacher and Guild. Sermon by Beinsa Douno, February 18, 1917, Sofia. (From the v. "All that has been written", p.23) 1 St. Matthew 11:27-30 Source
  13. The Book - The Spirit and The Flesh. Beinsa Douno Translation from Bulgarian - Vessela Nestorova THE CHILDREN Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.35 In order to explain who can enter the Kingdom of Heaven, Christ takes as an example an ordinary form known to all—the children—a form existing since the creation of the world. The children bring happiness to the home and to the world. A home without children is a desert without a spring or grass. Why must one become as little child, if they would get to heaven? In Christ's talk the word child has a deeper meaning than we usually attach to it. Christ does not say that you will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, if you are a precious stone placed in the crown of some king or if you are a millionaire, but says, "If you do not become as a child, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven." Here He implies the idea of growing small. The child is a symbol of a potential state, or it may be said that children represent potential energy, i.e. energy in a dormant state. This energy is not inactive because it contains all the conditions for its development. It is simultaneously in a potential and a kinetic state. The potential energy turns into kinetic and the kinetic into potential. The kinetic energy has stronger activity, but it has a smaller scope, whereas the scope of potential energy implies limitless development. The difference between the child and the adult is the same: adults are less active in that they have a smaller scope of development than children. The idea of the child contains yet another sense. If a tree does not turn into a small seed to be planted again in the soil, it cannot begin its development. The growth of trees is effected in two ways: some grow by seeds, others by sprouts or grafting. There is a big difference between a plant growing from a sprout and one growing from a seed. The plant growing from a seed contains greater force than that growing from a sprout. Christ says, "If you do not turn into a seed in life, you will not enter the Kingdom of God!" Why? Because only seeds, not plants are planted there. God does not need old people. There are no old ones in the Kingdom of God. The word old is synonymous to a weak person, while the young, the children are the equivalent to the word rich in mind and heart. This is my interpretation. If you have not the mind and the heart, that is—the innocence and purity of a child—you cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Why? Because the conditions under which you must grow, require your mind and your heart to contain the Divine life within them. One of the greatest delusions in contemporary spiritual movements lies in considering oneself big or great. Every person, even children five or six years old, cherish the idea of greatness. I have often met children who have the idea that they are very big and have the power to do many things. I have met religious people who also think they are very big. They say, "Do not annoy me, because I can do all things just by raising my finger." If you make these children to raise a sack, they will not be able to. Why can't they raise it? Because they think they are big, but in reality they are not. If they thought they were small, they would be able to lift it. You can test this every day. Put yourself in the position of a child, deposit a thought in your mind and do not worry. If you do not worry, it will be ten times more active than if you torment yourself all the time. When you stand before the switch of an electric lamp, what is required of you? Only to turn this switch on. What do many people do? They stop before the switch and begin to philosophize. No, in this way you will not receive any Light. No philosophy is needed in this case, but a simple motion of the hand and light—the condition for reading—will shine forth. The same Law applies to one's personal life. On waking up in the morning you turn on the switch and say, "I see!" When the soul enters the human body, she also has a switch and when she turns it on, she says, "I see the Sun!" If you forget to turn on your switch36, you will be in darkness, i.e. your mind will be muddled up, incapable of work. Some morning you get up and forget to turn on the switch of your heart and mind; then the whole day your life is in disorder, you do not find any sense in it and so on. I say, you are in the state of a child with big ideas who, thinking of the big things, forgets to do the least—to turn on the small switch from where the Light comes. I constantly meet people whose switch is not turned on, but who have big ideas, who dream of many-storied large houses, yet are blind! No, you need no such houses. First, turn on the switch and afterwards you can make your house. Become a child of obedience! Only then God will speak to you and you will understand the relations existing between Him and yourself. People today have lost their relations to God. They think they are free and have the right to do anything they want to, even to criticize God. I ask such a person, "When you got up this morning did you switch on the Light?" "I did not." "Then return home and switch it on, otherwise the whole day you will be in darkness and low spirits. Up to that moment life will have no sense for you." The same Law applies to human relations: you have turned on the switch and all people love you; you have forgotten to turn it on and everything is in disharmony. You are a big person, a great one, but nobody loves you. Nobody loves people who want much. The Law of heaven is symbolized by the children, by their selflessness. To carry much on you back, but to have little in your stomach are two different things. If you carry 100 kg wheat on your back and ½ kg wheat in your stomach, where will your strength be? Contemporary economists who burden the state with big debts do this because they do not understand the Divine Law. I would rather they gave each person ½ kg of wheat in the stomach than 100 kg on the back. It is preferable to have 100 g of knowledge in the brain than a load of 100 kg on the back. Someone may have 100 volumes of books, but the 50 g of knowledge in the brain as a potential and kinetic energy are of more value than what is outside of it. Thus by the word child Christ means a special inner state—to be in accord, in contact with the spiritual world, with all the powers and all beings. If you start thinking you are a great being, you lose all these contacts. When a great angel in heaven who has lived millions and billions of years and who has an experience greater than that of humanity and whose history is much more superior to that of humankind, decides to come to earth and be incarnated, he will take the form of a little child and humble himself—he will start his development from this point, in order to come to understand the majesty of God. That is why Christ was asked, "Can an old man enter the Kingdom of God?" Be he an angel or a God, he cannot. Those who would enter the Kingdom of God must humble themselves and become like children. Now all of you who are listening to me want to enter the Kingdom of God such as you are. No! This has never been and never will be! If you do not acquire the qualities of a child—plasticity of mind and heart—you will not understand the inner sense of life. But you are already near the Kingdom of God. The inter-space dividing this world from the other world is a hundred-millionth part of the millimeter. How small is the distance between these two worlds! When a person starts on the way of development, they move very slowly. I notice all who start on the spiritual path resemble big people; they are not like children. If someone begins their journey with large strides, they will not attain their purpose. If you leave home running, you will not achieve anything. But if you start slowly and gradually accelerate your step, you are in the state of a child. Christ says, "Do not start your work hurriedly. Move like the small children—walk constantly and quicken your step by one, two, three, four, five, six steps, then you will find sense in your life." While you are in the state of small children, no illness will attack you, but if you are in the state of the old, an illness will come to you. Those who worry are old; also those who have a heavy heart are old, too. Become young! You say, "I have a weight in my soul." You are old. "What shall I do?" Become young! "How?" Do not think of great things in the world. Put only half a kilo of bread in your stomach, 100 g of knowledge in your brain and five grams of feelings in your heart—that is enough for you. When ten or fifteen young men love a girl, they begin to quarrel; she feels puffed up and becomes unhappy. Some years ago a young woman was killed in Sofia by her fiance. Why do you love two people? One is enough. Every thought has its definite place. If you do not love a man, do not deceive him! Tell him the truth and he will find another girl. In regard to religion, people suffer from the same love. You say, "Let us love!" Do you know how love is expressed? Those who desire much commit a sin and when the sin is done, they suffer. The one who sins is a bad person, but the one who sins and does not repent is worse, yet the one who sins and does not repent or pray is still worse. Everyone who prays, yet is unrepentant, is a hypocrite. A hypocrite represents the worst person in the world. There are two kinds of lies, two kinds of sins in the world. When you tell someone you love them, yet you do not, you act like the crocodiles—when they love someone, they wet her with tears to make her smoother and easier to swallow. No, people do not need such love, but the Love of the small children. Give a little, yet let it be from your heart. If men and women would apply this philosophy to their life, all homes and societies will change for the better. Fathers, mothers, children, teachers, priests, judges—all are thinking of great ideas. They all consider themselves great and fool themselves that there are no greater people than them. You ask, "Why is the world suffering?" It is suffering from "great" people and ideas. People call someone an excellent preacher, because he is preaching grand ideas. Yes, we are all suffering from "great" ideas. The Jews also had great ideas— they wanted to become rich and, considering themselves chosen, they became proud. They had 33,000 promises by God; however, Christ showed them that the greatness of a person lies in becoming as small as a child. Only in this case, God will be on one's side. So far I have not seen a mother bearing an old man in her womb, even if she would be given millions. But everyone bears the small child without getting any payment. Why? Because the child holds great benefits inside. As it enters, every Divine idea, no matter how small it may be, brings peace, joy and greatness to the person who accepts it—that is why everyone can bear the small children. Many think that big ideas bring happiness to people. Actually, this is not true. To clarify this thought, I shall tell you a legend. An impoverished German prince wanted to marry a beautiful woman. She told him, however, that she was a woman of great pretensions and she wanted him to build her a beautiful palace and supply anything she wanted of him. Only under such conditions would she marry him. He agreed to everything, thinking he would be happy with her. He married her and started looking for riches. By the powers of occultism he started calling spirits who would help him. Finally, he found a prince of the gnomes and said to him, "I have married a pretentious woman and need much money. Can you help me?" "I can, but under one condition: for every purse of money, you must give me ten hairs of your head." "I have enough hairs and can give you as many as you wish." "I shall need only ten for each bag of gold I give you." The man thought his troubles were settled and his life at home would now be happy. He started visiting the prince of the gnomes week after week, month after month, taking bags of gold and giving his hairs in return. A year, two years, three years passed and he became completely bald. He went again for gold, but had no hairs. "Shall I give you something else?" he asked. "No, I need hairs." Now the man understood that human character lies hidden in these hairs. He had sacrificed the apparently small things for presumably great things. Every hair is a noble thought sacrificed for a trifle. If you have such aspirations for ten years, you will sacrifice all that is noble in you and remain a barren desert. Then you will be turned into a big, old, dry tree which is a symbol of the degenerate human character. Be not offended by the Truth. I know that when the Truth is spoken, many people are offended. God considers an old person everyone who is offended by the Truth. Such is the Law before God for He has never been offended until now. There is no other being to have suffered more desecration than God, but so far He has not even knitted his eyebrows. He calmly and quietly looks at us and says, "These children will understand the Law; now they are piling up sins, that is why they will bear this burden." "Our condition is very heavy: poverty, illness, what shall we do?" You should work. "Is there no other way?" No, there is no other way—you must work. "We are big." You should grow small, become like children. When you return home, try to become like children and see how you will be rejuvenated. You say you are old, but what is the reason? You are carrying the world on your back. When you board a ship which rocks and you begin to fear, what will be the use of fearing? Stay quietly, have the confidence of a child. He who has made the ship will take care of you. The ship will rock and then stop rocking. Even if there is a storm and thunder, you should not be afraid. The birds in the airy space also rock, but they understand this Law better than you. You will excuse me for all this. I say, if you are old, you will get offended; if you are young, I shall congratulate you. When I speak the Truth, let no one be insulted. I shall ask those of you who are walking barefooted over a stony place, to put on sandals, because your feet will be hurt and you will be forced to turn back midway. The sandals will protect you. If a lady is passing through such a place, she would prefer to have her feet hurt than to put on her sandals to please her loved one. Yet, it is dangerous to walk bare-footed. The children are always shod. Look at the butterflies, these small children of God, what excellent clothing they have! If an earthly queen has such clothes, she would feel happy. Although these butterflies have a short life, how well God clothes them! Why does God clothe them so well? Because they are children. But why does God send unhappiness to people? Because they are old. Why does God send blessing to some people? Because they are small children. A mother forgives her children many mistakes, but if her husband makes the mistakes, she says, "I do not want this dotard any longer!" In the same way heaven forgives all the sins of the small children, but it is strict with the old and says, "Out with you!" Then what takes place in you? Dissatisfaction, despair and hatred of life, since you face resistance and unfavorable conditions for your development. The only way to be loved by God and by people is to adopt the Divine idea—be small before God and have a responsive heart and mind. Love has different degrees of power: you stand in front of a stove at a distance of two meters and feel a pleasant heat, but if you should put your hand on it, it will burn you. The old people are hot stoves, that is why they burn you sometimes. Usually they are mercenary. Do not think I am speaking of you; I am referring to those old men mentioned in the Scripture. Those who think they are big and great, they are old men. Beware of such people! Christ preached this when He said, "Become like little children!" When you study Nature, you will find that the most precious things are not big. For instance, the diamond has been an airy substance in the past, occupying great space; long time had to pass before it thickened and grew hard. God has turned it into a hard substance, but at the same time, He has made its volume smaller. It has become of small volume, but of high price. Do you know how much energy, how much matter is pressed into an atom? We should grow small by the same Law, become like children, for only God is great and to be like Him, we have to learn the art of transitory things in creation, the stages of transitory life, and find out why small things pass into big ones. A ripe grain or seed, no matter how small it may be, if it finds favorable soil, it grows into a big tree. However, no matter how big a leaf or a fruit may be, if it falls in the soil, it will rot. This is the sense of the words of Christ. Christ spoke at the time for the people of an enlightened age, for those who are able to understand Him and apply His teaching. When a great musician plays, he plays for those who have an ear to hear him; when a sculptor makes a statue, he offers it to those who understand and value it; when a writer writes a book, it has sense for those who understand it. God has made the world and inscribed His Law for those who understand Him. Those who do not understand Him will bear the burden on their back and be "great men." When God created the world, the spirits who came down to earth wanted to be big, great, that is why they had big bodies. The huge animals were created at that time as well. If the huge animals had remained on earth, they would have devastated it completely eating up everything. God was teaching those incarnated spirits that they must not have huge bodies, because the greatness of a being does not lie in the huge body. An idea is great not when it is big in volume, but when it bears something great which helps the development of all beings. If you sow a walnut, in ten or twelve years it will become a big tree, but after it dies, it assumes its original state again. Now I am telling you to become like the little children and to make an experiment in this respect. I say, let this idea of Christ enter your mind and try to be small before God. Imagine that you are just beginning your life in the Kingdom of God. You may consider yourselves eminent people, but how many great kings, how many eminent people lived in the past, of whom there is no trace today. You deceive yourselves thinking that the people around you are eminent, famous, but you can see how eminent they are when misfortune comes to them. In a Varna village about fifty years ago, there was a very eminent son of a chorbadji37. The whole village was speaking about him. When anyone said, "Petran Chorbadji," everybody knew him. Every week he would slaughter and roast a lamb, gather people for a long and merry feast. But misfortune befell him so that he lost everything and became the last pauper. Everybody deserted him and started mocking him. That "Petran Chorbadji" thought himself an eminent man! What is an eminent person? A dead ox. When he dies, the dogs eat him up. Then they again speak of him, but only until he is all eaten up. After that nothing more is said of him. People speak of a person so long as there is something they can take or receive from them, but as soon as the person dies and nothing remains of them, they stop talking about him. These are the misfortunes of your external life. You are very beautiful on the outside, but the beauty of the heart and the mind is important. That is why you must purify your heart and mind and do not fly at high game. Become small children that you may enter the Kingdom of God and inherit the new life. People on the Earth are dead. They are eaten up by dogs, crows and eagles, because they are "great." When you read "Revelation," you will see that God summons all eagles and says to them, "Come, you little ones, to take your share, of the flesh of kings and heroes—all "great men." What does this mean? When a big oak tree rots and turns into soil, God sends the little seeds and grasses and says to them, "Take your share of this oak, because in the past it obstructed your development." That is why Christ says, "If you do not become small children, you will not enter the Kingdom of God. God will not take your side." Therefore, the new conditions under which you live require a new moral, new religious principles which must be more powerful and effective than the present ones. The principles you have used till now are weak and cannot endure. You have a rope which can raise ten kilograms, but you want it to raise a load of one hundred kilograms, what must you do? You will make it ten times stronger. The rope is the moral you must make ten times stronger than the previous one, in order that it may endure the new conditions. That is exactly why, according to Christ's Law, you must change your outlook. If the worst person were to become a child, you would love them because they would change. There cannot exist a struggle between an oak and grass, but there will always be a struggle between two oaks. Plant them next to each other, you will see the struggle between them—which should grow taller and see the Sunbeams. The one that grows higher will succeed, but the one that remains below will say, "I remained small." Small but with big ideas. It is not that you have remained small, but that you should wait for your turn, then you will say to the big oak, "I shall become your son, an acorn". It will answer, "I, on my part, am your father." "Thank you, father, for your care which you will take of me." One day this acorn will grow big and exchange its role with its father. Christ requires every one of us to become a tree which will bear fruit, a seed upon which the Kingdom of God may be laid. You will say, "These are abstract things." No, they are not. Deposit in your mind the thought, "I want to become a small Divine child. God, help me realize this thought." Think upon this though for twelve months and you will see how your life will change. However, do not blaze forth this idea; I can see that you are small. When a big beech tree comes and says, "I am small" it is not speaking the Truth. When a rich man says he has no money, he is afraid of being robbed. When a poor man says he has money, he does not speak the Truth. Let everyone speak what is right. Have faith in this great Divine Law of this child and God will be with you. If God credits you, He will make you great. But if you make yourself great, you are in the state of a lying merchant who says he has money when he has not. This is the deep sense of the verse, "Become like small children." I do not want you to think, "Are we really nothing?" Leave this thought aside. What you have been until now is not important; the thing that counts is what you will be from now on. It is well known what people have been like until now—let sleeping dogs lie. The future ideal is—be Divine small children. I wish you to be children of God and use all the great blessings the Kingdom of God is giving you. I wish you all to be wise, happy and good. As you see, I am telling you the way you can be such. You will say, "How will we regard the small drop of water?" Be not troubled, it will grow. The rain does not pour down at once, but drop by drop and gradually it rains harder. However, the small drops benefit the world. The small children do not know what fear is, but the grandmas frighten them, "The big, bad goblin will eat you up!" The same way the maid-servants frighten the children with the goblin to make them fall asleep, so that they can go out and have a date with some young man. In order to be free to go to a ball, some mothers also fool and frighten their children with something awful and mysterious. Down with your goblins! Deceive neither the children, nor yourselves! Be sincere with yourselves and others—this is the only way you can be rejuvenated and become beautiful. As soon as the divine idea takes possession of your mind, everything will change—your lips, eyebrows, nose and forehead. In Europe women paint their lips red, because the red color shows wealth and pure blood. Let this be done naturally. To become small children means to stop lying to God. Someone does not believe in God—they may have serious reasons for their disbelief. Another person says, "There is no God." I say, you have not turned on the switch. "Life has no sense." You have not turned on the switch. "People are bad." You have not turned on the switch. The small child's switch is inside of them. There is no more beautiful or greater idea than this. Some want to know who Christ is. The power of life is not in the letter, but in the spirit of things. I am careful in always conforming to the Divine Truth, speaking only what is true. You must not play the role of one of the disciples of Socrates who, desiring to show himself humble, went one day to his master in torn pants. However, his master told him his pride could be seen through his torn pants. You must be careful and you see I am careful with your hearts and have never said what is true. Everything I say to you is a Truth which you can verify. If you have no results, I am ready to start working with you. Only say to yourself, "This year I want to be a small Divine child!" This is the idea I want you to go away with—to be small Divine children. All the European nations to be such children too. Then the real Divine peace will come into the world. Sermon held on February 11, 1917 in Sofia. ______________ 35. Matt. 18:3. 36. The formulae in the previous lecture are one effective method of turning on this switch of our hearts and minds, of revitalizing the connection with our Creator and harmonizing ourselves with the Cosmic rhythms (ed. note). 37. (Turkish) A well-to-do person. The word was also used to refer to Bulgarian wealthy people during the Turkish domination (1396-1878) (ed. note).
  14. The Book - The Spirit and The Flesh. Beinsa Douno Translation from Bulgarian - Vessela Nestorova THE BLESSED Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.38 I shall take the word blessed in this verse. Christ does not call blessed those who have much money, many houses, those who are very learned or powerful, but says, "Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness' sake." The word persecute, or chase, in Bulgarian has a good and a bad meaning. If a person is not persecuted, they will not progress: there must be movement in the world. When a Bulgarian wants to thrash his wheat, he chases his horses on the thrashing-floor. Why is he chasing them? In order that his sheaves of wheat may be thrashed. All things in life have meaning. Those who understand the inner sense of life need not be hindered by the contradictions which exist in the world. All contradictions are an expression of a great Truth which has two aspects, two faces: sufferings and joys. Sufferings are the dark side of this life; joys are the highest things, the light side of life. All this is in accordance with the Laws of Nature. In the course of 24 hours, the Earth changes its face—the one side is light, the other dark. Therefore, in the course of 24 hours in you life, you also will be dark and light, you will suffer and you will be joyful. This is an unchangeable Law, which, however, has nothing in common with sin. Sometimes sin becomes entangled in suffering, but these two things should not be linked. Suffering is a great Law. There is no person who has not suffered or is not suffering now. Even God suffers together with us. No one suffers more than He. When someone says they are suffering, I say to them, "You have barely started this science." It is not a bad thing to suffer. The feelings by which you experience the most pleasant things in life are the same by which you experience the most unpleasant things as well. When your eye is irritated and is not in harmony with Light, you will feel Light in a most painful and unpleasant way; but when your eye is in order, i.e. in harmony with Light, you will have the most pleasant feelings. Therefore, when a certain disharmony appears in you, it shows that you are out of balance. Only by suffering can balance be restored in you. Those who play the guitar often tune up their guitar to a specific pitch for certain songs; suffering is also a kind of tuning up—the scale must be changed from major to minor or chromatic. In people who are aspiring to what is noble, this aspiration is linked with suffering. Suffering and joy are two opposite poles in life. Those who want to grow and develop will inevitably suffer; suffering is a doorway, a prerequisite for joy. If you avoid suffering, you will never attain joy in life. Joy and sorrow are two daughters of God. Of which God? Of the One manifested in humanity. You ask, "Does God have daughters?" Yes, He does. He has daughters and sons both on earth and in heaven. The words brother and sister are Divine ideas; they are much greater notions than the ones you perceive and understand. Our brotherhood and sisterhood reaches only a span above the Earth. When a brother takes a span of land from someone's field, they quarrel and the brotherhood is spoiled. Take for instance the relations among doctors, merchants, priests, preachers and others; their brotherhood has reached only a span above the Earth. This is the contemporary social development people have attained in their conception of brotherhood. Christ says, "Blessed are you when you are persecuted for righteousness' sake." You will say, "Why should they persecute me?" I ask, "Why should they not persecute you?" It is often said that muddy water is more favorable to the soil than pure water for when the former passes through the soil, it leaves certain sediments which the plants use. In this way, every year the river Nile deposits millions of tons of humus alluvium in which ancient Egypt produced enormous quantities of wheat. Suffering is that divine sediment that comes from the heights and when it is deposited in your fields, it fertilizes them and God says, "Now you must sow!" Out of these sediments—sins, misunderstandings—will come the best bread and you will say, "Thank God, how good all these things have been!" If there is no suffering, there will not be bread. Christ says, "I am the living bread." He is actually living bread because people are nourished by Him daily. "Blessed are you when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake." If people speak evil of you when you deserve it, it is not praise-worthy; you deserve it, if you are to blame. You must suffer for righteousness, for the rights of God. Now many people suffer for wrongdoing. I ask, if Christ should come today, what teaching would He give to the world? All people want to be happy and blessed, to have good husbands, wives, children, but where will you take these good husbands, wives and children from? If you sow the best wheat in sand, it will grow weak. But if you fertilize this sand, after a time the wheat will grow better. I understand this Law inwardly. What is happening in the world? Everything is going normally there— what is happening there must happen. The apostle Paul says in a letter, "We all live and move in God." If you live and move in God, what are you afraid of? You sit in a boat in the sea, a storm comes up and you are frightened. I ask, where is your faith? "We shall sink!" If you are sinful, you will sink. If you are like gold, silver, iron, you will sink. However, if you are a light feather, you will remain on the surface, but the others who are bearing a heavy load will sink— woe unto them! Therefore, never burden your minds with thoughts that make you heavy! It is not important what people think of you, the important thing is what God is thinking. God is everywhere where rational beings are found. He is neither in the dead nor in the sinful. By the word God I understand the pleasant feelings and thoughts you are experiencing in your consciousness and by means of which you understand Him. God lives in us and He has the power to resurrect us. If God is not in contact with me, if He cannot cause me to live, what need have I of such God? What is the use then of the existence of a God? That is why Christ says, "If my words abide in you and you abide in Me, whatever you ask for will be given you, will come to life." Christ says that He is living Word, "The words I speak to you are in you, they are living." That is why Christ's teaching which is within us has power by itself. "Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is you reward in heaven." This means that these people are to have a future life. What does a future life imply? Some think that when they die, they shall go to another world. No, they will not go to another world, but simply pass from one state to another as it is with a cocoon. When a worm is on a leaf nibbling, it thinks this is its world, but after it turns into a butterfly and obtains wings, it begins to visit the flowers and changes its views of the world. So long as we nibble the leaves of material life, we are also caterpillars; but when we pass through the cocoon stage and become souls dressed in beautiful clothes, we shall comprehend life in its higher manifestations. Do not get offended, but many people today are in the state of caterpillars. They say, "We need to save money for rainy days," but this is the life of a caterpillar. "We need houses for rainy days"—this is the way a caterpillar thinks, because it needs the leaf. I ask, if the caterpillar becomes a butterfly of what use these leaves will be to it? When you begin to rise, you will say to your brothers, "I leave these leaves to you as a gift." That is why Christ says, "What you do not need, give it to those who are in your state, let them use it." Truly, the teaching of Christ is for everybody, but all people are not equally prepared to comprehend it and to apply it. Each one can apply it according to their stage of development. This means that you must become conscious of your state. Those who are behind or ahead are not to be judged or envied for somehow you will all pass this way voluntarily or by necessity. If you do not thrash voluntarily, God will come with a whip, rein you as a horse to a thrashing machine and thrash the wheat. When they ask you why you have become horses, you will answer, "To thrash the wheat." A great number of people today thrash on the Divine thrashing-floor. When I see a horse thrashing wheat, I say, he is doing his work well. Then I ask myself if I am doing my work well. If people today want to understand Christ's teaching well, a Divine harmony must be restored among them. Can you sense how blessed you are? You can. People complain all the time and say, "I am unhappy." You are blessed, because Christ says, "Blessed are the unhappy." Someone is ill. What is illness? A sign that the Divine Light is working on you wishing to resurrect you. You have troubles in your development and cannot resolve some problem. The Divine thought wants to raise you and illumine you. "My heart is heavy"—the Divine life is working, wishing to soften your heart. God is working in us. People today are like children who like to raise dust in the classrooms. When the teacher enters and sees dust everywhere, she begins to sneeze. I see sneezing everywhere: teachers, preachers, mothers, fathers—all are sneezing. Why? There is dust. Open the windows, air the rooms, wash the floor and the sneezing will stop. If you do not want to sneeze, see that your room is cleaned. Sneezing means that there is dust, suspicion, doubts. Light is necessary, if you would understand the sense of life. I ask, "How long have you been on earth? Where were you 200 years ago? Where were your ancestors—father, grandfather, grandmother one thousand years ago?" You will say that you need not know this. You need not know it, but when your grandfather leaves you an inheritance, you go around the banks to look for it and to find out everything about it. Why? Because you have something to inherit. But if your grandfather has a debt, you pretend not to know him, because otherwise you will have to pay for him. This is not chivalry. You are not cavalier—that is, you cannot ride a horse, you cannot rule your mind, you are not able to manage your thought, you are not a sensible person. Christ says, "Blessed are those who understand the sense of life this way." Then wealth is hidden in our brain, in our thought, in our heart. A rich young man falls in love with a poor girl. She may be poor, but there is hidden wealth in her. It is expressed in her face. There are thousands of cases when kings or other eminent men have fallen in love with poor girls and have risen by that, but these girls have an inner wealth which Christ has deposited in them. When a person is virtuous and just, possessing the Divine Love, Wisdom and Truth—all these things are vividly inscribed on that person. I have met Virtue and have spoken with it—what blessings spring from it! Do you know what beautiful daughter of God is Virtue? I have also met the Divine Righteousness—she, too, is beautiful, but strict, she does not forgive the mistakes. You may say to her, "I am weak." "Weak or strong you must not violate the command of your Father." Love is very beautiful and delicate, she does not see people's mistakes. No matter what you do before her, she will kiss you, pat you, clean and dress you in nice clothes and take you home. Men and women must love one another! Someone says, "My wife does not love me". You have not found the woman who loves you. Your wife on earth is a shadow of Love. A woman says, "I shall marry him because he is rich, he has a house and an income of 10,000 leva." This woman takes, she does not give, and therefore she cannot make her husband happy. The man says, "I married her because she is rich, although she is quite ugly." This man also cannot make his wife happy, because every teaching which takes but does not give, cannot make people happy. Self-sacrifice is in the basis of the Christian teaching. There are two kinds of sacrifices; either you will sacrifice yourself, or others will sacrifice you. For instance, why do people kill lambs on St George's Day in Bulgaria? First, they put a wreath round their necks and after a dedication ceremony, they kill them. Why do they make this sacrifice? For eating. There are spirits in this world who someday will put a wreath on you too, place you on the sacrificial altar and kill you, so you will die. People will say that a certain person has died. I say, he is not dead; he is alive. One day you will also be on the table of death where you will be eaten up. They will say, "What a nice, well-fed body this is! What muscles, what a heart, what lungs, wonderful!" People die, because they eat meat. When they stop eating meat, there will be no death in the world. The flesh of the sinners is very tender; the same is true for all low quality stuffs. Clothes made of good fibers are tough and lasting; they do not wear out easily. The flesh of the righteous is tough and hard, that is why they do not eat it. There is no death for the righteous39. Therefore, the Divine teaching will create in us sound thoughts, a sound mind and a strong heart. Those who would attempt to destroy a good thought, a Divine desire, will destroy themselves. Such a person will come to the state of the crocodile that swallows small frogs. In the river Niles there are small frogs which the crocodiles often swallow. The crocodile opens his mouth, the small frog jumps into it and he swallows it whole. However, when the frog enters the stomach of the crocodile, it wants to get out and in order to do that, it slowly makes a hole in the stomach and gets out through it, then the crocodile's stomach gets filled with water, he turns on his back and dies. Some people complain and say, "They ate me up!" If God is with you, those who will attempt to eat you up will pay dearly for that. If you have faith, you should fear nothing. The living God is with you. The spirit of God is already coming down as the Light which comes to the Earth. He is coming, bringing great Light, fire and life which will purify the world. Contemporary people will experience these things and be witnesses of the Restoration of the Kingdom of God on earth. By His coming on earth God will unite all people and malice will gradually vanish. All misunderstandings spring from the mistrust and suspicion people have of each other. I shall quote the example of the frost, the wind and the Sun. These wanted to try and see which of them could make a shepherd take off his leader coat. The frost started first. It became bitter cold. The frost said, "Now I shall make him take off his furs," but the shepherd wrapped himself more tightly and walked faster for his home. The frost did not succeed. Then the wind began to howl and rage, tearing down trees and scattering away all things on its way. But the shepherd wrapped himself still more tightly and hurried home. Last spoke the Sun, "You made your attempt; now it is my turn." The Sun smiled kindly and joyfully, sending all its love down. The shepherd began to feel warmer and warmer until he could not bear the heat and took off his coat. Two teachings are preached in the world: of the frost and of the wind. Now, the teaching of Love remains, which will take down the fur-coats. Some ask, "What do you think?" Look me in the eyes and you will see what I think. When I see you, I do not ask what you are thinking for I know your thoughts. You think of a two-story house, more furniture, you think of marrying, of having children and so on. I meet a scientist and what thoughts do I see in him? He is making scientific investigations. I meet another person who intends to steal. Everything a person thinks is written on their face. God has opened the book already and everything written on it can be seen clearly. If Christ should decide to judge the world, He would pass the verdict immediately and say, "According to such and such an item of God's Law this is what you deserve for what you have done." But the mission of Christ is quite different now. He is summoning humanity to a sane life. You should not consider yourselves very saintly—you must know this. A saint must be an excellent person, knowing how to serve, to have a sound body, a sound mind, strong legs and arms, strong muscles, to be with empty hands, i.e. not to be rich, but not to be poor either. However, such a one must be in Tolstoy's state—to distribute his goods to the poor and to help them. Such is a real saint. In heaven God classifies the saints into great and small. Those who have been much spoken of, who have suffered much and have endured everything with dignity, are saints. Why do people revere Christ today? Because He paid all their debts and bore all their sins. If Christ had not suffered, if He had not given anything of Himself to people, He would have been an ordinary person. Everyone must serve God and know they have their place on the Earth. You will say that the apostle Paul was a great man. I say that if you fulfill your role on earth well, you will also be a great person. A woman who has lived for 20 years with her husband carrying his heavy yoke, who has cooked for him and borne everything with patience, while he has maltreated her—such a woman will be a saint. The same thing will be said of a man. If he has endured patiently all unpleasant things caused by his wife, who has maltreated him, he will be a saint. Only such men and women will be saints in heaven. Everyday on earth I see women decked with diamonds, necklaces who live luxuriously, leading a carefree life—such women will be poor in the other world with ragged clothes. Someday you will find yourselves in the state of that rich miser of a woman who had a poor but virtuous servant. Although the servant received only 60 leva a month, he gave all his money to the poor. His mistress often told him that he was foolish giving his money away, because he would need it for "rainy days." One night the lady had a vivid live dream: she saw a beautiful marble palace and asked, "Whose is this palace?" "It is your servant's palace." "How could such a poor man have so much money to build himself such a wonderful palace?" "All that he gained on earth, he sent it to the other world to have a palace built there." A little farther she say a small hut. "And whose is this hut?" "It is yours," was the answer. I say, you may be great personalities in this world, but in the other world God will judge you according to your deeds and give everyone what they deserve. You should not delude yourselves, but you must know the Truth and place a definite boundary between the Divine and the human. You say that you understand the word Love. No, you do not understand it. Not only don't you understand the word Love, but the words Righteousness, Truth and Wisdom are incomprehensible to you as well. When I enter a house and see an angered woman, is this Wisdom? When the word Wisdom is pronounced, a change must take place in one's state! The sense of every word must be understood! If you enter a theater where thousands of people are sitting and cry out, "Fire!"—everybody will rush to the exits for they will be terrified at the thought of impending death. Why is that so? Because all people understand the sense of this word. But if someone should come among them and pronounce the word Love, they will all look at one another jokingly and take that person is out of their mind. They will say, "What does that one mean by this word?" This shows that people do not understand the deep sense of the word Love, for if they did, it would have produced the same effect as the word fire only in an opposite sense. If I meet a sad person and pronounce the word Love, all his suffering and discontentment should disappear; he should become joyful, become bright as an angel and turn from a worm into a butterfly. You often say, "Oh, my God!"—but you do not understand this word either. I seldom pronounce the name of God in my soul; I pronounce it only when I have a heavy burden and then I am relieved of the whole burden. This word contains everything for me. In Bulgarian I substitute this word by the words I can. Never say, "I am weak." Say, "I can do everything through Christ." Put aside everything else! Put Christ in the first place. You will understand Christ, you will understand God only by the words I can. I am not disturbed by darkness; when the Earth revolves in a day and night, this is the order of things. When it is dark in someone's mind, I say that his sun has set so there is darkness in his mind. This person should lie down and rest, not worry, because in twelve hours the Sun will rise again inside them—their Lord will come. Then Love will enter them and they will begin to understand the deep sense of life. This is what Christ taught before; this is what He teaches now. All are waiting for Christ to come from heaven. No, He has come down once already. He will not come down to earth a second time. God came down to earth when He made it, when he created the world. He has been working on the world ever since and will stay here until He puts complete order. After that He will return to heaven with all His children. This God is always with us and He is working together with us. He will gather us and form a tree of life out of us in which we are roots, branches, leaves and fruit: every leaf will be for healing and every fruit— living food. Then we shall be one with God just as every cell, every root, every branch and every leaf are parts of the tree. "Blessed are you when they persecute you." You are blessed, because then you are moving forward, because the work you are doing is for the good of humanity. Since such is the case, your reward in heaven will be great. When someone needs you and tells you, you are a bad person, he has told you what is right—become good! You are ugly; he has said the right thing— become beautiful! You are malicious; he has said the right thing—become kind! People are speaking so much about me that if I pay attention to all that the hairs of my head will have all fallen off. I say, these people are right, I am a dangerous man. Why? Because I am a mirror. When someone meets me, he sees himself in my mirror and says, "You are a vagabond." You are saying the right thing. "You are a dodger!" You are right. See yourself in your mirror and correct yourself! People are like an American preacher who was out of his mind and one day when he looked himself in a mirror, he did not recognize himself and said, "You must repent or God will send you to hell!" I enjoy looking myself in people and when I meet a good person, I want to see myself in them; that is why I look in a mirror. There must be two kinds of mirrors: those in which we can look ourselves and those, our own, in which other people will look themselves. Only in this way can people correct their mistakes. Woe unto those nations, societies and churches that have no mirrors! Doctors today also use mirrors in their daily practice. When they examine your throat, for instance, they use a mirror. Christ's teaching also bears a mirror. In order to understand the deep sense of sufferings, you must keep in mind that they are necessary for the happiness and blessedness of our future life. Sufferings are the greatest good God is sending to people. This is what Christ says, "When someone is suffering and feels very burdened, let him come to me. I shall buy off his sufferings by giving him something else, we shall make an exchange on a purely brotherly basis." And now Christ is coming to earth in glory to take the burden of humanity; that is why He says, "Lay your burden upon the Lord!" You will make an exchange: God will take your sufferings and in exchange He will give you joys. By having come to earth, He wishes to make you happy. In order to be happy, you must be sensible and wise. Pronounce the word Wisdom only when you cannot explain some difficult question. Pronounce the word Wisdom and wait for 10 minutes after which a certain clarification will come to you. You will be like a blind person who begins to see and notices the beauty of the world. This person says, "I see everything in the world and understand how great the Lord is!" And we must thank God for having created this world, for having created the home, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, women, children, and even the misfortunes along with all those other things, we should thank Him for everything. Those who have started on the way of Christ, must thank God for everything. When we thank God, we shall come to an understanding of one another. And when we pronounce the word Love, if we are sad, we shall feel immediately joy, warmth which will fill our body and our frozen limbs will start to move. Then we shall clearly see angels descending from above. This is what to become clairvoyant means. Some people expect to become clairvoyant and see everything after they die. Do not wait for your death, but while you are still alive you should resurrect in the Lord. Do not say, "When I die, I shall understand life." On the contrary, say, "When I change my clothes, when I turn from a worm into a cocoon and from a cocoon into a butterfly then I shall see God and understand life." You say, "I shall die and be buried in the black grave, but what will become of me when the worms attack me?" The worms are your smaller brothers. They will come to you and say, "Let us have a taste of you! Christ is living bread for you, but you will be living food for us." Be not afraid, people are not in the graves, I do not see them in the graveyards. I repeat that there are two kinds of people—the first kind are the living dead whom we meet every day in Sofia, the others are the dead living. Christ says, "Blessed are the dead living who died for the Lord." It is not said anywhere, "Blessed are the living dead." The latter are caterpillars. The dead living are butterflies and they are not dangerous, because they do not eat the leaves of the trees. When a thought which is distractive enters your mind, it is a caterpillar, throw it out! But when a thought which raises you enters your mind, it is a beautiful butterfly, retain it. Therefore, everyday you should throw out the thoughts which eat up the leaves of your life. This is the teaching of Christ. Christ says, "Blessed are you when they persecute you, because great is your reward in heaven." I shall explain the deep sense of these words. When you sow a grain of wheat, it begins to decay and many enemies attack it, microbes, but as soon as it looks up to the Light, the Sun shines on it and its enemies run away. Therefore, you must also be persecuted in order to grow upward. When Christ says, "Blessed are the persecuted," He means that blessed are those who grow up, those who produce roots, leaves, blossoms and fruit. Great is this reward when the Lord comes and finds their fruit ripe. Has this teaching any sense? It has. This is what it means to be persecuted for the sake of Christ. If they persecute me and I have no fruit, I deserve to be persecuted. If, however, I am persecuted to give fruit to God and I have fruit, this persecution makes sense, for it means growth. It will give the necessary impulse, an impetus for work. When we reason this way, we shall begin to think rightly and to understand why we live. That is why we must pray for all people! The Scripture says, "Bless and curse not, say the Truth right in the face as to a brother, or a friend and never speak evil of anyone!" Speaking evil is like vomiting the food you have eaten, but the mouth was not created for vomiting, but for the sweet words of Love. This is the Teaching the saints bring down from above; this is the Teaching that the righteous have been preaching to the world for thousands of years; this is the teaching of the small angels who descend to earth. When Christ comes, He will bring the same Teaching. The white horse on which He is coming is the symbol of His Teaching of Light, "Blessed are those who know the Lord" means those who have grown up and have developed, having roots, branches, leaves and fruit, because God will visit them and reward them. I wish all of you to be in such a state—to be blessed so when God comes He will find fruit in your garden and you would invite Him to visit your home, your heart. Then He will give you the spirit of the new Teaching. "Blessed are you when God visits you, for great is your reward in heaven." Sermon held on February 4, 1917, in Sofia. __________________ 38. Matt. 5:10. 39. Probably reference to the non-decaying bodies of saints. In Bulgaria St John of Rila (≈876–946) is such an example. After the death of his parents, he gave away his modest inheritance to the poor and needy. Until his death, he led a humble and devout life as a hermit in the Rila Mountain, where he subsisted on wild berries and plants. His non-decaying body now rests in the Rila Monastery (ed. note).
  15. All things which are written “For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” Luke 21: 22 The word vengeance in this verse sounds strange, which shows that it is not used appropriately. Neither in Bulgarian, nor in the other languages can a more appropriate word be found, a word that can convey the meaning of Jesus’ words. To some extent, it can be replaced with the words account, countdown, annihilation, or balance. Jesus, Who has always been considered to be a role model in terms of feelings, thoughts, deeds and aspirations, uttered some bitter words. Unpleasant though these words are, they have the same beneficial effect on the human soul as bitter pills on a sick body. Would anybody be capable of correcting his distorted thought, unless he encountered the counteraction of the right thought? Many Christians keep thinking that they can do as they wish and make mistakes without being aware of them or of bearing the consequences. They believe that as soon as they repent and turn to God, their sins will be erased. Errors, though, can be deleted only after they have been corrected. A truly ideal Life excludes the possibility of making mistakes and committing crimes. Sins and fallacies are accidental interceptions in Life. They can be done voluntarily or involuntarily, or to put it in the terms of modern jurisdiction – with malice afterthought or unintentionally. Therefore, it is not people’s assignment to perpetrate crimes. They have come to earth as a necessary part of their development. They have a grand mission – to conquer the earth and become masters of all animals. What does mastering mean? What can man master and rule over? To be the master of the earth means to cultivate it properly and establish order all over. Being the master of animals means taking care of them in a way that makes them happy and content. Only a sensible, good-natured and free person can be the master of the earth and of the weaker creatures living there. “For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” This verse can be discussed in its broader sense – in relation to humanity as a whole. It can also be analysed in narrower outlines – in view of man’s personal life and body. The human body is one’s earth, with all kinds of species on it – fish, birds, and mammals. All this has to be conquered, but as it belongs to another Master, man is responsible for the subordinate creatures to which he is temporarily a master. Jesus said, “ Lord, the sheep you gave me are Yours, so I sacrifice my life to them.” That’s why, everyone should bear in mind that any power given to them makes them responsible. Everybody wants to be strong, but acquiring certain strength makes sense only if it is exploited for something Good or great. Otherwise, strength becomes pointless. Strength, just like gifts and abilities, is acquired step by step, in the course of one’s growth, and not at once. Have you ever considered how many thousands of years it took the caterpillar to develop the skill of weaving and forming a cocoon until it finally breaks the chrysalis and turns into a butterfly? Those who are not acquainted with biology would say that God created everything. God gave all creatures the conditions to develop, but it is entirely up to them to strive to improve their lives, i.e. to get on a higher rung. Anyone willing to trace the stages of development can take a cocoon for close observation, pore over a microscope, then take a magnifying glass to trace the stages of growth and the differentiation of cells, until, finally, one can see the tiny worm, the chrysalis and the butterfly. You will say that this is an unconscious process. The maggot lives unconsciously here on earth, but in a higher world, the maggot is a conscious creature. That is why the Scripture reads that you are where your heart lives. Or, in other words, you live where your consciousness lives. If the consciousness of the maggot does not exist here, we look upon it as an unconscious creature. The cocoon lives unconsciously here, but what about man, who undergoes the experience of the prodigal son? He separated from God, severed the bonds with his supreme consciousness and set off wandering round the world. Is one given the right to part from God? If the bonds between the Divine and the human consciousness are severed, one has the right to part from God. One is free to wander, to dissipate his father’s wealth with light-minded friends; one can become a swineherd, living in misery, and finally, when his consciousness is awakened, to come back to his father and say, “Please, accept me as one of your servants. I do not deserve to be called your son. Forgive me, for I offended both against you and God.” Then the father can rightfully give his son a joyous welcoming and kill the fatted calf. The elder brother can be angry with his father for killing the fatted calf for his younger son, who wasted all the money and now comes back down and out. Such is the lot of any man, family or society that have gone astray from God. This is what happens nowadays throughout the world. According to the Scripture Jesus will make a Second Advent. What will herald it? – The wakening of human consciousness. When one becomes destitute, with all his wealth lost and now down and out, he will realise that he has gone astray and will start awaiting Jesus’ Advent. This is what awakening the consciousness means. This is a process that is already becoming a necessity. Everybody must come back to their father and repent. Only then will one be able to see the consequences of his Life both in the past and in the present. You will be just like the Prodigal son, who became aware of his past experience, realised what he lost and gained and then decided to come back to his father. He realised that nothing can be achieved by being a swineherd. Eventually, it was hunger that made him come back and become his father’s servant. You will say that it is awful for one to wander down and out. If you have ended up living in misery, if you have repented and came back to your father, you should only rejoice, for your shabby, tattered clothes, i.e. your inherent shortcomings have been revealed, you are already aware of them and ready to remedy them. You should be only too glad that you have become wiser. When you get wiser, you feel content, inwardly satisfied with having the necessary food, clothes and shoes, though outwardly you can still remain hungry, shabby and bare-footed. You should be grateful that you have found enough common sense to come back to your father and say, “Father, forgive me, for I committed a sin, but I learnt the great law that everybody gets what they deserve.” “That all things which are written may be fulfilled.” These words refer to all modern societies, countries and nations. The European nations will get impoverished, they will lose their strength, and famine will come to the Earth: hens, turkeys, lambs and swine will lower in number and become almost extinct. What’s more, bread will become scarce – a ratio of 200 to 300g will be given per person. You may happen to starve for two or three days on end. Everyone will ask, “ Why did all this happen? Who caused all these disasters?” – Not just one person is to blame. Everybody is responsible for the unfortunate consequences. Are the friends you drank and ate with guilty for your failure? It was you who invited them to eat and drink with you, because you wanted to have more fun. Whose fault is it now? Once you had fun, without thinking of the long-term implications; you should be brave enough now to bear the consequences. You should be even grateful that you are now given the chance to correct your mistakes. Religious people are getting ready to leave this world and move to another one, better organised and perfect. If the fruit falls unripe from the tree, where will it go? Will there be fruit good enough for the market? Will it be served at the table of a rich man? Can you see it in a child’s pocket? The fruit that has fallen unripe will be found rotten by the trunk of the tree. The other world is closed to it. The unripe fruit will remain on the tree – this world here - until it gets ripe. Therefore, both worlds – this one and the other one - are the same for people who are unprepared. One needs a long time to spend here, on earth, to study and to grow until the process of development is over. Here is the place for them to go to a primary, secondary and high school, and finally to university. Then they will enroll for the great school of life and enter the organised world called Heaven. Only fully mature, learned people are accepted to heaven. Anyone who goes there will be given a gob that has to be accomplished. Lazy people are not admitted there. Anyone who goes there unprepared will be left to wait for a day or two before being assigned some task. Anyone who proves to be inefficient will be sent back to earth. An old woman dreamt of going to the other world. The first thing she saw there was a big table laid with a white tablecloth, and round the table a few white bearded old men were sitting, reading a book. She saw that they were busy reading something. Not knowing what to say and how to address these people, she felt embarrassed. One of them asked her, “Why have you come, old lady? Do you know to read or write?” – “I don’t know, son. I never learnt these.” – “If you can’t read or write, your job will be to fetch water.” – “Well, son, this is what I had been doing all my life. I am sick and tired of fetching water. Don’t make me do the same here.” – “If you don’t want to fetch water, then you will come back to earth to learn to read and write.” While we are on earth, we pass through three areas in Life. The first one is the stomach. While we are still living in the stomach, we have to observe its laws and regulations. The stomach gives feasts and invites guests. Everybody sits at the table waiting for the hostess to serve the food she has prepared. The table is laden with plenty of food – soup, roast chicken, turkey or steaks, and a glass or two of vintage wine to cheer up the guests. All are eating, praising God for the goods He has bestowed on them. This is how Life is seen from the perspective of the stomach. If you ask someone why they indulge in eating pork, poultry or lamb, they will answer that they are destined by God to be the master of animals. Such people let all animals in the stomach and feel satisfied. When they are inside they start asking, “Master, what are we doing here?” Each animal starts revealing its true nature: the swine is rooting about, the bull is butting, the hen is scratching and the turkey is strutting. Shortly after, the stomach is heavy with indigestion. The master is moaning with aches and calls for the doctor to see what is wrong with him. It is simple: the animals that have entered the stomach cannot get along well. They cause indigestion. The doctor prescribes some purgative, the master vomits everything and the stomach is relieved. What does vomit mean? In my opinion, the words vomit and gossip are synonymous in Bulgarian. Just as overeating causes indigestion, so bad and impure thoughts upset the heart. Knowing this, you should never let them enter your heart or let them out as negative emotions. Why should people talk behind each other’s back? If a negative emotion enters your heart, you should try to suppress it. If someone happens to have eaten rotten food, they usually start talking about it, until finally, they throw it up. If they do not talk about what has happened to them, they will talk about others who have taken bad food. Do not eat impure food so that you should not talk about what you have eaten. You should talk neither about yourselves, nor about others. The function of the mouth is to accept pure, healthy food and not to throw up the impure, unhealthy food. The human body has two doors: an inlet and an outlet. If one accepts and throws food from one and the same door, the harmony in the body will be shattered. This law applies both to physical and spiritual food. If you let something go out from your mouth, it should be the best. The human tongue is not allowed to use negative or bitter words. That is why the Scripture says that you should be held responsible for any empty word. The same refers to one’s thoughts, feelings and deeds. Man is related to the sensible world, with creatures from a high culture – saints, Angels, Archangels, who hold man responsible for every deed, thought or feeling, coming out from the heart or the mind. One day he will be held responsible for everything he has admitted into himself. Man comes to live on the earth; he comes into existence, eats, gets dressed, studies, etc., for which a lot of energy is needed – Light and warmth, various elements – oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus, iron, silver, gold, etc. All this costs millions. We can see one grow and develop, but we cannot know how much this costs Nature. Nor do we know how much energy the sensible creatures working on him have wasted. You should try to estimate the expenses of someone who has lived here for a hundred years to find out whether one is entitled to abuse what he has been given. One who abuses the rights he is given is deprived of the favourable conditions of Life – to be born and reincarnated. Being unable to reincarnate means being locked forever. Evil cannot exist freely any longer. Jesus came to earth mainly to free man from evil – both people and animals. In other words, all human ideals will disappear, replaced by other eternal ones. Any thought or desire not based on a grand ideal will vanish beyond recall. There can be just one desire or thought for you to cherish, but it should be immortal. What’s the point of giving birth to ten children unless you do not follow God’s will? What child is it that does not love his father? Neither Love, nor hope can find its expression. Love is the strongest and foremost human incentive. God’s Love for humanity and every living creature makes Him come among people. Usually God comes to this world at times of hardship and turmoil when humanity goes through big crises. We are having hard times now, so God is closest to people. When speaking of reincarnation, many are reluctant to acknowledge it, though it does not matter. What difference does it make if an important fact is not acknowledged? The fact exists after all. People existed in prehistoric times; they exist now. They were born and reborn, owing to which they acquired something new and improved. One is reborn but with a different name. The same happens to nations. Modern nations, known as Germans, Russians, English, French and Bulgarians used to exist under different names. It is not known when exactly man came to existence – there are various opinions on this issue. According to the Bible man has been existing for 8,000 years. Occultists believe that man has been around for 18 million years. God comes here not to judge people but to purify the world. How will He achieve this? – Through fire. That is why the Scripture reads that each barren tree will be rooted out and thrown in the fire. The tree cannot live on barren land; it needs soil. Therefore, each person who does not give any fruit will be rooted out and thrown in the fire. When does man give fruit? – When one lives in compliance with the laws of Love. There is no Life beyond Love. There cannot be any achievement without Love. Throughout his life, man has to create the soil he is to plough and sow, just like a farmer does. The impure thoughts and desires that have fallen upon it spoil this soil. It has to be purified. How? – By ploughing it a few times, after which you have to let it dry in the Sun until becoming fertile again. Providence brings upon man plenty of suffering so that it can help him get rid of sin. In this respect suffering is the plough necessary to toil with on the patch of land. It has to be ploughed a few times so that it can be purified in the Sun. Then it can become fit for sowing pure thoughts and desires. God’s Love has to work on the human soul for thousands of years so that it can give fruit. It is normal for man to be sulky and displeased while the fruit is ripening. Initially, the fruit is bitter and sour. The longer it basks in the Sun, the sweeter it becomes, until finally, it is fully ripe, sweet and fragrant. The process of ripening is over. So, when one is sulky and displeased, you should know that he is at the beginning of his life – at the embryonic stage. After a few Divine years he will get mature and sweet – the discontent will turn into contentment. Anger and discontent are in their proper place when they lie on the grounds of sound principles. Everything makes sense when it is in its proper place, i.e. when it is reasonable. During the Ottoman Oppression the Bulgarians feared tax collectors very much. A Bulgarian felt quite comfortable and relaxed before the tax collector came. He would go outside the front door with a jack-knife and a stick in his hand and while whittling at the stick, he was setting the world to rights. However, as soon as the arrival of the tax collector was announced, the Bulgarian got startled, whittling more nervously and worrying about paying his taxes. Minutes ago he would think freely, claiming that God does not exist. The moment the tax collector came, he would start believing in God – the stick, i.e. Justice is imposed. So he would point the stick at himself. If you have money, you are the master. Without any money, you lose your title. A young handsome lad enjoyed the freedom he had. He had many friends and was footloose and fancy-free. Girls liked him for the great freedom he had and referred to him as the King of all kings. One day he decided to get engaged. The girls started regarding him only as a king. Then he got married. Now he was regarded only as an ordinary man. When eventually he got divorced, everybody would look upon him as a laughing stock, as one inferior to all the others. God sends people to the earth to feel free and independent as kings. What do they do? They find a husband or a wife to commit to. They lose their freedom and descend from the position of a king. When they get married they become ordinary people. Then they get divorced, thus reducing themselves to a laughing stock. If they have made a mistake, they have to correct it. The husband whittles at the stick, so does the wife, thinking how to pay the tax collector. Do not get involved with people who are expected to pay taxes. For all the things which are written.” In other words: The Day of Judgement is coming! – When will it come? – When the Divine light enters people’s minds and they start seeing clearly what exactly they have done in their present and previous lives. They already have a new task assigned – to correct their Lives and all the mistakes they have made. Be grateful for the Light given to you! Be ready, just like the Prodigal son, to turn to God with due Repentance and humility and say, “ O Lord, I beg for Your mercy! I didn’t fulfil your will, but I am ready to serve You devotedly.” Pray to God to inscribe your names in the Book of Life. Give up the lie you have been serving for years and embrace the Truth. If you are not ready to serve God gratefully, you will find yourselves in the position of the Greek tzar who was ungrateful to his doctor.. The Greek tzar in this story was suffering from leprosy. An eminent doctor came to his kingdom. The doctor, known as Duban, started taking care of the tzar and soon managed to cure him. As a token of his gratitude the tzar appointed him in his Privy Council. Many became envious and started scheming against him. The malicious gossip reached the tzar, who believed it and ordered the doctor’s execution. Before the order was carried out, the doctor appeared before his master, told him the true story and begged for mercy. The tzar reversed his appeal and confirmed his verdict. Then the doctor said, “I’ll give you a book in which you will find the answers to all the problems troubling you. While thumbing the pages, you will hear my voice speaking through your head.” The tzar took the book, pleased that he would be able to make interesting observations. After the execution the book appeared on his desk. The tzar started turning the pages, but the more he read, the worse he felt. The pages were treated with poison. On turning the last page, he heard a voice saying, “This is what everyone who is ungrateful deserves.” This is how the ungrateful tzar ended his life. Who is the doctor curing human leprosy? – Jesus. Instead of being grateful, you are ready to cut His head in order to get rid of Him. Then the devil, whose advice you take, will approach you and give you the book, form which you are going to read his wise advice every day. This book is poisonous. By reading his book, you will gradually get poisoned. When you turn the last page, you will hear the devil saying to you, “This is what any sinner who repays good by evil deserves. Such a person does not deserve to live.” Many keep complaining about injustice in Life, blaming God for it. If they think so, then they bear injustice. If just one Life were given to you, then you would be right to complain. But what would you say if you knew that you would live many lives here on the earth? Don’t you think that it is you that have caused injustice? You live by God’s grace. God is so lenient to you and yet you grumble. A new age is coming, a new culture, and new conditions. The hew age is celebrated with God’s advent to this world in order to establish law and order, to separate the mortal from the immortal, sinners from righteous people. It is up to any of us to choose the category he or she falls into. A sinner with impure thoughts and desires will create a body with the appropriate brain, lungs and stomach. The thoughts and desires take the form that matches them. No wonder then that so many forms exist: bears, wolves, tigers, lions, snakes, etc. The forms are created according to the thoughts and desires. It is only natural then that there should be bad and good people; some are healthy, cheerful and agile, while others are ill, weak and unfit for work. Do not wonder why germs destroying the human body exist. Doctors organise conferences to discuss how to tackle the problems with germs. There are germs capable of destroying the human body within 24 hours. Germs are a real scourge to humanity. “For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” You would ask whether God takes revenge on people. Should he take revenge on them through germs? I am not answering your question. I would only ask you: What would you think of your neighbour who would let his pigs plough in your well-kept garden? Your garden is not supposed to be intruded by your neighbour’s pigs. You have worked in it to make it your pride and joy. It is meant to give pleasure to your nearest and dearest. Those who love you are welcome to take a walk in it, enjoying the beautiful flowers and ripe fruit. Imagine that the father of a family has lived and worked abroad. On coming back home, he buys nice presents for his four daughters and his wife. As soon as he comes back, his two daughters turn to the presents and jewellery, examining and enjoying them, totally ignoring their father’s presence. They do not care at all that he is tired and needs attention. However, the other two daughters focus all their attention on him – one fetches him some water to wash and clothes to change, the other cooks him dinner. They do not think about the presents. The father is kind and considerate with all his daughters, but, naturally, his attitude to the first two is different from his attitude to the other two. He would never show that his attitude is different, yet it is. From this we could infer the following law: Love breeds Love. Hatred cannot breed Love. Fear can make you pretend to love someone, but as soon as the fear disappears, hatred grows. Love excludes fear, while no love or hatred breed fear. Those who fear are the evil, dark spirits, whereas good and light spirits do not fear. Therefore, when a dark spirit obsesses you, you feel afraid. You ought to drive the evil spirit away. Let it become your servant and not your master. As soon as you drive it away, you will become strong and courageous. You will raise your awareness, entering a new sphere where love and agreement, Light and peace reign. What will happen to the world? – Do not think about that; think of yourselves. The master of the world used to be someone who is bound now. He is trembling with fear now, regretting having lost his power. He will be sent to the lower world where he will be taught to work. He used to eat and drink, but now he has to work – there is no other possible salvation for him. As long as the chief master is bound, it will be easy for you to cope with the less important masters. Each of you is able to bind the small master within the self and set him to work. Do not fear this master, for his reign is over. Put Jesus to the throne of your kingdom and follow His path. Only in this way will you be able to walk in Light and the Angels will befriend you. This is what God wants from us all. Listen to His voice and be ready to submit Him. It is time for you to sever the bonds with your former master and reestablish connection with the One Who has crated you and Who cares about you. Religious people prepare themselves to pass through all the planets and finally settle on the Sun. This will be, but not now. You are not ready for the other planets yet. It is worth going round all the planets and stars, but only if you achieve something or mend your ways. Otherwise, just passing by and seeing new things without getting to the point would be a futile effort. There will come a day when you will be able to travel freely from one planet to another, but not in your present bodies. You need to form a new body, capable of dissembling and assembling so that it would be easy for you to move from one place to another. One day people will be travelling without ships, trains or planes. They will have a new type of body, shaped and structured differently. They will have a new kind of Light and knowledge. They will be acquainted with the laws of the Universe and able to apply them. Then they will not toil the land the way they do now, but sustain themselves in a way unknown to today’s scientists. Jesus tells us, “Go now and do not err any longer.” Not to err means not to violate God’s law. Those who serve God follow His laws. Once you enter the Angels’ society, you will be elevated. It is a great blessing to have the grace of the Angels, the saints and the good people. Everyone will be eager to give you something. However, it is awful to find yourselves among enemies. Then everybody will be eager to take something from you, to rob you and ruin you. God’s Kingdom does not ruin people. People live there in harmony, union and service to Love. They live there one for all, while nowadays everyone lives for the self. By “the self” we mean what is inferior in people, mammals, birds and fish. That’s why Jesus says that anyone unable to deny the self cannot be His true disciple. By giving up the inferior part of the self, one is able to evolve more quickly. The law of evolution applies both to people and animals. The more sinful one is, the slower the process of evolution is. One is subjected to greater suffering so that the consciousness can be awakened. The same law applies to animals. This is the reason why some animals suffer more than others do. The harder the suffering is, the more the creature has to pay back. When studying Natural History, you will see that forms gradually change to improve. Naturally, it is a long-term process, taking thousands of years. What counts is not time, but the results. Therefore, when it comes to animals, you should not look down on them. You should bear in mind that there will come the time when they will change and advance to a higher level. Animals are inferior to people in terms of consciousness and living conditions, but some day they will move a step up. It is possible for a human being to communicate with a horse, an ox, or a dog. If one knows how to do it, it is possible to talk even with more inferior species. The shepherd, inhabiting a hut, lives at physical and spiritual conditions different from those typical of a king, living in a palace. Yet you can communicate with them both. There are people who don not rank higher than animals in terms of consciousness. There are animals that are similar to people in terms of consciousness. That’s why you should not judge things by their appearance, but consider their contents and depth. Truth reveals the provenance of man. Some day when you enter the Spiritual World, your thoughts and emotions will become objective. By seeing their true essence, you will feel ashamed, aware that you are ill equipped for this world. So you will start looking forward to coming back to the earth in order to work towards a better future. This is what makes people reincarnate. One needs to work. Whatever situation you are in, you should know that such is your lot. You have to work on yourselves in order to improve your fate. There is just one way to achieve this: by serving God with all your heart, strength and devotion. Or to put it differently, to serve God with all our thoughts, emotions and deeds. We should serve out brethren with the same commitment as we serve ourselves. Who is your fellow creature? – One who helps you and works for you. It means that the ox, the horse and the cow are your fellow creatures. God speaks the languages of all animals and communicates with them, while you feel ashamed to speak to your ox, working in your field from dawn till sunset. Sometimes God prefers to speak to an ox rather than to a haughty sinner, who has caused his own sufferings but blames God for them. An ox keeps pulling the yoke yet never blames its master for the suffering it bears. God has given man plenty of goods and keeps giving. Who is to blame for man’s suffering? – He himself. Suffering comes as a natural consequence of man’s constant abuse of God’s gifts and blessings. What should one do to get rid of suffering? – To reconsider the way one lives and mend his ways. The only power capable of correcting one’s Life is Love. Apply Love and your Life will correct itself. – Which Love? – The one you are ready for. Love has 350 million forms. What man is required to do is to study these forms and recognise them. The ultimate objective is to be able to identify the kind of Love one has for you when he or she tells you “I love you”. Is it like the love of the worm, the spider, the mosquito, the hen, the dog, the bear, the wolf, the ox, the horse, or is it like the love of the mother, the saint, the Angel, etc.? Man is not allowed to show the love of the spider, sucking blood of its beloved, nor is man allowed to have the love of the predator, tearing its prey. God comes to the earth not to judge people but to teach and guide them. He opens the Book of Life to every human being and forces them to read from there in order to see their own mistakes. Where do people make most mistakes? – In Love. When you spot and identify your mistakes, you will say just like the Prodigal Son: “Forgive me Father! I’m coming to you down and out. I’ve lost everything you gave me. I committed a sin, but now I am ready to serve you.” That is the common fate nowadays. God will welcome the Prodigal Son with Love. He will give orders for him to be washed and dressed in new clothes. He will embrace and kiss him and will kill the fatted calf. However, the devil, i.e. the elder brother will be displeased. He will tell God, “I worked for you so many years yet you gave me nothing.” The devil does not tell the truth. All the wealth is his. The devil is said not to have come to help the Angels but the seed of Abraham. So, when Jesus joins the human world, people will advance to a higher level. On hearing His voice, they will perceive His thought. No matter which part of the world Jesus will speak from, they will be able to catch His voice. Righteous people will be able both to see and hear Him. He will be everywhere. It means that people, having developed the sixth sense, will be clairvoyants. If Jesus comes to the earth in flesh for the second time, he will be crucified again. This time He will descend in such a form that it will need no food, nor will it be crucifiable. He will need the fruit of your tree. When He looks at you, He will see whether your soul bears any fruit, and on seeing the fruit, He will say, “Let this soul be blessed!” I mean that blessed is the soul that bears at least one ripe fruit. When Jesus comes to you, you will offer Him your fruit to nourish Him. This is how He will know that you have worked hard in your garden, that you have taken loving care of the orchard. Many men, women and children water their gardens with tears coming from the bottom of their hearts. Some day these tears will give birth to sweet, juicy fruit. Do not fear your tears. Do not say that you cry; say that you water your gardens. Do not say that your hearts are rent with grief, say that you plough your fields. Plough and water God’s fields so that it should yield plenty of fruit. That is the point in Life. That is why Jesus will come to the human world. What is the present state of humanity? It is like a moving ship. Before it sets sail, it rocks and shakes and then when the movement goes to all its parts, it starts floating smoothly along the water surface. Jesus comes to the earth to stir the stranded ship. He will give it a mighty push, will jolt it vehemently and give it the right course. Therefore, Jesus’ advent will blaze the right trail for humanity. All people will start feeling, thinking and acting correctly, just like the ship will be bound for the right destination. It is hard to imagine how all that will happen, yet when the vapour gives impetus to the steamer, when your thoughts become clear and definite, when you become aware of your ultimate objectives, you will see Jesus as clearly as the stoker, who puts coal in the fire-box seeing that he has to do this to make the steamer move ahead. Many have seen Jesus cheerful and beaming with a smile and a halo around His head on His way to Jerusalem as a holy place. Jesus exists in all other worlds, not just on the Earth. Those who are more sensitive are aware of this. They perceive it through both their hearts and minds. There is not a single human being unable to sense even the slightest stir in the self. Those who are more sensitive are more apprehensive of danger. There is nothing to be afraid of. Your ship is moving ahead, having taken the right course towards the Divine port. I do not mean the grave. Just the opposite, as long as your ship is afloat, you will come out of the grave and resurrect. This is exactly what Paul meant when saying that we will not die, but we will change. What is in store for you? – You will go to bed as a cocoon, and you will wake up as a chrysalis. On the next nigh you will go to bed as a chrysalis, and you will wake up as a butterfly, able to fly from one flower to another, gathering their sweet nectar. What has happened to you? – You have changed. God took your old callous hearts and gave you new soft and delicate ones, on which I will inscribe today the new law. He took your distorted minds and gave you new bright ones, able to perceive His thoughts and apply them. Your souls will become a temple of God, you hearts – His altar, where you will offer your sacrifices. The Spirit will become God’s servant. This means serving God with all your heart, strength and devotion. This means the fate of the world. To judge means to find the right path as a member of society and as a nation that is part of humanity. It means knowing your responsibilities and bearing them. Will you know yourselves then? – Certainly, more than you do now. Will you love each other? – More than you do now. Then you will be glad and light-spirited, radiating happiness. Today people’s faces are dark and sulky. Who is to blame? A child saw the Sun rising hidden in fog and clouds. Its red disc could hardly be seen through. – Why are you giving me such a sulky, angry look?” the child asked. The Sun answered, “It’s not my fault. Clouds and fog veil my rays but as soon as they disappear, I’ll show you my bright, smiling face.” What I would like to tell you now is not to ask why Jesus is a gloomy and displeased. Clouds veil his face, too. When they disperse, you will see His bright and smiling face, radiating Love and Light, Joy and Mirth. Jesus’ Love can be compared to the bright and fair image of the Sun. When you feel His Love, you Life here on the earth will become worthwhile. Then you will understand why you were born and why you will die, why you are male or female, why you give birth to children and raise them. Not only will you understand these things, but also they will be given meaning. “For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” This verse sounds fearful. Those who do not understand its profound meaning will go to hell. Those who interpret it properly say: Jesus comes to this world as a bearer of Reason and Love. He tells everybody on the face of the earth, “Peace!” Everybody will get what they deserve through Jesus’ Love and Reason. Everybody will be given what they are ready to do. Is there anything to worry about? Get ready, each when the time comes to welcome Jesus. Put on your best clothes. For some Jesus will come today, for others He will come tomorrow. They will be some who will greet Him in years. You will meet Him the moment you are ready for this. You should be waiting for Him day in day after, and there will come the time when you will be able to see Him. It is entirely up to you. You should be in your right lace, just like the astronomer holds his due position behind the telescope to observe the sky. The astronomer may be observing a planet so far from the Earth that ordinary people do not even suspect it exists, but he can see it. When the planet approaches the Sun, then all people will be able to see it. Try to be such astronomers, able to see Jesus from afar, while ordinary people have not seen Him yet. Therefore, there are people who can see Jesus now, some who will see Him later when He approaches them, and still others who will not see Him even then but will keep sleeping peacefully in bliss. May you stay awake so that you can see Jesus from afar. If you fail to see Him from afar, I believe you will see Him from close by. You are bound to see Him. He will speak to you and you will be able to hear Him as clearly as you can hear me now. A lecture given by the Master on 28th January, 1917, Sofia
  16. The Book - The Salt. Beinsa Douno The Two Masters "No servant can serve two masters. You cannot serve God and the mammon."1 Two rational principles are functioning in the world. By saying that you cannot serve these two principles at the same time, Christ means that you cannot be twice more active than you can endure, i.e. greater pressure cannot be produced in a caldron than it can stand. These two principles cannot be placed on a single caldron. In the occult science these principles are called first and second, but in science they are termed as positive and negative. The positive principle is always stronger, and the negative - weaker. The creative force always manifests itself in the weaker principle. What builds in the world is not the strong, but the weak. That is why destructive people are always stronger than the good, the mild people. You have these two principles in yourself at the same time. For instance, when you get angry and cry out, "Put order here at once!" all the servants, women and children get frightened and obey. But this principle is not creative, it does not create anything. Only when you turn your attention inside yourself and get calm, everything acquires its natural state. The first principle, in which evil, hatred and lying originate, is not evil in itself. You have peculiar notions of hatred and falsehood. In order to be able to lie, one must be clever for a foolish person cannot lie. This is a great philosophy, but in contemporary society it is called "superior diplomacy." Women possess this kind of diplomacy as well. When the man is stronger in the first principle, his wife caresses him, calls him "darling" and by her softness, she tames him so as to assimilate this high principle. When these two principles are balanced, they begin to work together: the first principle gives of its surplus to the second one. Christ says, "You cannot serve the first and the second principle at the same time; you cannot serve hatred and love at the same time." These two things are mutually incompatible; they are diametrically opposed, as they do not move in the same direction. Take two merchants, for example - they can work together, for they are moving in the same direction having the same interests, but a merchant and a doctor cannot work together. The word Lord means the highest principle, the noblest principle which creates. This principle is soft and plastic, but this does not limit it. It is immortal - death does not exist in this second principle. There is death in the first principle only because the strong destroy themselves by the power they possess. Only strong people can commit suicide. Take for instance the scorpion - when it is surrounded by fire and has no escape it commits suicide by the sting of its poisonous tail. It prefers suicide to being burned alive. The first principle has created the cosmos; the material world together with your bodies, energies and forces necessary for their upbuilding. When you want to give up the first principle, you must give back everything it has given you. But when you return everything to it, what will remain of you? You will return to the second - become one with God. There will be no John or Dragan, angels or devils and a general state of peace and calm will reign in the world. No questions will be raised as to which side will win in the war or what will happen after the war ends. All questions will be solved. All these things will merge in the first principle, which will withdraw into itself. When a person wants to become energetic, they must be salted; evil in the world is salting and a person should become bad in order to be salted. When a person looses their saltiness, God sends the first principle to produce salt. But people should not serve this principle. Christ takes it as it is manifested on the earth, not as it is manifested above among the angels. One cannot be rich and pious at the same time. I do not believe in such piety. When a person's purse is full of gold and silver and they pretend to be a saint, I doubt in their sanctity. All riches in the world belong to the Lord; and the moment you think the power and influence you have are your own, you are serving the first principle. This principle is individual and disunites all beings, because it is not a master of uniting, but just the opposite. It can create thousands of people; but it cannot create conditions under which they can live. This principle is possessed of anger which leads to the trashing and killing of people. I shall tell you an anecdote as an example of this idea. A peasant had no children and often prayed to God to bless him with progeny. One day he filled a big sack with grains of wheat and prayed that God turn these grains of wheat into children. God answered his prayer and turned all the grains into children. When the peasant got up in the morning, all the children began crying and asking for food. That angered him very much and he said, "These children will eat my head off" and started killing them. One of the children, who had hidden behind a door, started crying and begging him not to kill it. This is the first principle in you - evil, which is active and when it comes, it says, "I shall destroy." But when the second principle - which people call love, the mother, the power of all things - comes into the world, it immediately softens the first principle and the two, joined together, give birth to the greatest and the highest in the world. When you serve the Lord, it is only through Him that you can influence the first principle. Only God has the power to save you from death. If you do not serve God, you will be swallowed up by the first principle for such is the law. Water returns to its original source; so does money and power. Everything returns, for all things have sprung up from the first principle. However, in Love, there is a manifestation in the world of the absolute God whom no one knows - the unknown God of whom people have no idea. "The God you will not know but worship is the one I am preaching to you about," says Paul. He is the only One who holds in Himself these two great principles through which He is manifested. Since one principle destroys, while the other builds; you cannot destroy and build at the same time. When you hate you destroy; but when you love you build and create. Some people think that the first principle has apparently the desire to build in some people; nevertheless it devours at the same time. "I shall love you. I love you but I shall eat you up." This is the way a cat plays with a mouse until finally it presses it down and swallows it up. This is what people call love! Some think that the Hindu idea of "Nirvana" is merely blending with God, not building. This is partly true - there is both blending and building. One must be in accord with the second principle and live with it. There is an eternal aspiration in the second principle to unite all beings into a whole. It is the aspiration of Christ that God should be manifested individually by every Soul. God wishes to create in the world small abodes in which He can live. He who can understand this profound principle is a great Soul. Many contemporary philosophers are tangled up in these two principles. The first principle has taken upper hand in all pessimists, anarchists and that kind of people both in the religious and social aspects of life. I am observing society and have many statistics of this fact. A woman marries a man and, in the course of two or three years, she exhausts him, tires and destroys him and marries a second time. She exhausts her second husband also. She marries a third time and does the same thing to her third husband. Then people say, "This woman brings bad luck to men." The same thing applies to some men. A man who cannot live with a woman is one in whom the first principle has taken the upper hand and when he marries a woman, he destroys her. For such a woman and such a man the second principle must be so strong that it will create balance with the first. In religious societies such disputes often arise in which the first principle comes to the fore. For instance the question as to who should take the first place nearest the altar arises. On the physical plane it is not possible to put many chairs by the altar and if all should want to sit up there, the priest will not be visible. The same questions arise among teachers as to who should be the principal. How many principals can there be? Only one. The question of superiority can be found among preachers, military men and so on. This is a natural struggle, it is a great divine process which all angels have undergone. Many angels have passed the test, they have passed through the first principle and have entered the second one and now they are serving God, while others have not passed the test, they have fallen and now they serve the first principle - mammon - that is why they are called demons. Among people there are also some who serve the first and some who serve the second principle. After some time when humanity ends its evolution, takes its wreath, everyone will go to their place. This is why Christ says, "Without Me - meaning the second principle - you can do nothing." There is deep meaning in these words: if you remain alone to struggle in the world, you will become servants of the first principle and then all negative qualities as tiredness, jealousy, repulsion, discontentment, which destroy you, will become manifested in you. In this principle you cannot find any benefit for the world or any sense in life. That is why Christ says, "You cannot serve both God and mammon." If you serve mammon, you will be on the bottom of hell in constant discontentment and you will never understand even why you are a man or a woman. You may pass through all forms of creation, but you will always be discontented, because people by themselves are never content. The word "discontentment" means that you cannot be content with your outside appearance since human spirit is much greater, requiring a much larger activity than the one we actually perform. You have a small body, but the spirit wants a greater one. An eternal struggle begins. And in this struggle you say, "Might is right", which is the first principle, but when you say, "The weak has the right," that is the second principle. Someone commits a crime and by giving the judge two or three thousand leva2, the latter acquits them. Just as during the Middle Ages by buying indulgences, one's sins were forgiven. However, in the building of your life, Christ does not tolerate division. If you are divided in yourself, you must rise above that state and work within God. Only then will you understand the deep meaning of those forces working in the universe. Those who have started on the Way, the initiated, have a greater experience. Why? They are suffering more than the worldly people because in Christianity, along with the first principle, the second one is growing stronger. Where Love is manifested, the first principle also manifests itself; though it remains as a mere shadow - a shadow of creation. By "a shadow" I mean a principle which causes death. The first principle in itself is dark and brings darkness, but the second principle always brings light to the mind. When the first principle acts, you feel great sorrow and have no sense in life, but as soon as the second principle comes, you become high-spirited and rise. In the first principle you grope for an exit and if you do not find one, the thought of the scorpion obsesses you - to commit suicide in order to get rid of the unfavorable conditions of life, which you have created yourself. Thus the first principle is extremely avaricious and insatiable; in it there is no end to desires. What life can there be in the insatiable? What meaning can there be in a life moving forever in a straightforward line? Supposing you travel through the universe with the speed of light - what meaning can that motion have for you? It makes no sense to enter one, two or three houses which are empty. There is meaning in getting acquainted with those who live there; to have communion with their minds and hearts. Acquaintance and friendship in the world is to be in accord with this divine principle which, here on earth, is expressed in Christ. The first principle has created many illusions in the human mind. Since it bears all the shadows, it is strong; it has created many combinations by which it gives Divine Love a chance to manifest itself. Thus, Love finds expression in it and the first principle is like its soil. Nevertheless, it is striving to conquer the second principle - Love - but Love cannot be conquered. It is a Law which regulates all things in the world. The first principle is afraid of the second for when it faces the latter, it comes into the Light and, seeing its image, is obsessed by fear. Just as when you go to someone who loves you, your heart begins to throb. It says, "You have come to your Master, I have swallowed quite a number like you." Men, women, children - the hearts of all quiver. A man and a woman who have a hidden thought - the first principle - want to dominate; but when they realize that this principle does not yield, they say, "Here is my Master, here is the second principle, the Divine One, which gives expression to life and immortality." The Scripture says, "Love casts out fear," and in order to be happy, we must by all means be joined to Christ, otherwise our path is lost. If we do not serve God, we shall serve the mammon. If we serve God, we have torn down the mammon; but if we do not serve God, mammon will come and say, "You will serve me!" Every one of you must know this. Someone says, "I want to be free." You will be free if you serve Love, otherwise you will serve mammon and be a slave. You cannot serve God and mammon at the same time. It is impossible! People often say, "Let me beat them and they will have fear of me." You can beat them up or frighten them, but they will not love you. I would like to see someone among you who have gained a person's love through beating them. I have not yet met such a person. I am not the only person who says this: all great people and all saints have stated it. When the first principle gains the mastery over the human heart, the individual becomes dry, hard and begins to stiffen. Everything in them stiffens: their heart, their muscles, their hands, their legs, their arteries and so on. Then the doctors say that such a person is sick of arteriosclerosis. I say that this is due to the first principle, which has hardened the person and obsessed their heart. When God sees a person possessed of the first principle, He begins to bring in disunity, i.e. the second principle begins to act. When Love enters the first principle, it begins to organize it within itself. This is a struggle which acts mechanically in the world. It takes place in all social strata; in the minds of philosophers; in religious societies; everywhere. It acts until the second principle takes predominance and organizes our hearts, our bodies and we become immortal. Christ and the second principle wish to have predominance in our cells and in the monads in order to render them indestructible, immortal. Only then shall we pass from the transitory to the unchangeable and enter the region of Eternal Unity - the Eternal Divine Harmony. That is why the world was created, so that the human hearts and minds should pass from the first principle into the second. The process is from left to right. For instance, how do you work? You move to the left so the right hand may exert greater pressure. There are exceptions as some people are left handed, but generally when one works, one moves from left to right. This principle is the reason why the heart has moved a little to the left. Physiologists today say it is because of the way a child has lain in the womb of their mother but this is not the reason. In time, the heart must move to the middle between the two lungs; only then will there be harmony between Wisdom and Love. Now, speaking about your heart, I imply the idea of harmony between your thoughts and desires. Your desires always dominate your mind. You think well and say, "I shall do this, I shall do that," but you get angry and destroy everything. A man and a woman are in love, but one day the woman meets another man, handsomer than her own husband; one who has a fine moustache, black hair and eyes and she says, "I found him at last!" And the home, built for twenty years, is destroyed. This woman is unfortunate for she has found the first principle. The same thing applies to men and children. A child thinks their father is foolish and bad and says, "That other father is better than mine." Children often compare their mother with other mothers and say, "Those other children's mother is more beautiful and better than ours," and at once disharmony arises in their home. The first principle has sneaked in again. I am not speaking of the depth of this philosophy, but only to point out how weak you are. As I see you, you are still weak, you are like nails which must be pounded in by the hammer. When the hammer comes, it will ask you, "Do you know me?" "I know you." You will be pounded in so well that you will even come out on the other side. You will realize that you are nails and that the strength is not in you, but in the hammer. The hammer says, "Do you see where you go when I pound you?" The force, however, is not in the hammer, but in its handle. It is not there, either; but in the hand. The hand says, "The force is in the brain, not in the hand." If the brain does not give an order to the hand to be raised, what will become of it? It is the same with people. Two friends, two nails get together and start talking. One says, "I was pounded in twenty centimeters, do you know what weight they hang on me? No one can pull me out, I do the greatest work." This is the reasoning of nails. A Christian enters a church and says, "I did this for the Lord, I turned a person to Him!" You are like a thief who robs someone's purse and opens it: you have stolen the heart of this person and carried it away, leaving the person to complain all his life. Some mothers think they have given life to a child and then leave the child at a children’s ward. Why do you deceive the child that you have given it life! The second principle does not tolerate falsehood. Lying, violence, hatred, jealousy - all these things are compatible in a society of evil people. Those traits seem natural to them and when two bad men fight, they feel a satisfaction for a time. It is the same with a wolf and a lion after they tear up a sheep and eat it up. They feel; however, in a few hours' time, they feel the need of tearing up another victim. In the contemporary civilization we can find many similar examples. A similar thing took place in America in the city of New York where a court case was brought up. A doctor felt great satisfaction in killing people and in a short period of time, he actually killed twenty-five persons. He hired a woman secretary and killed her first by cutting her piece by piece, watching the effect of his action. He did the same to 24 other persons and burned them all up in a stove. That man was obsessed with animalistic hatred when he was slaughtering his victims. He was examined phrenologically in a New York prison and they found that his eyes and jaw were deformed. He had been under the influence of the first principle. Often such criminals have a desire to have long beards. The big beard is a sign of the presence of the first principle. I do not wish that you go to another extreme and understand me wrongly. The big beard provides more energies, but a criminal has a rude and hard hair. When your hair becomes hard, the first principle has dominance in you. In order to know how good you are test your hair and skin every morning. When your skin becomes dry and thickens, the first principle is in you. This principle will swallow you up as a snake swallows up a frog. It catches you by the foot and if you do not turn to God, you will go to the bottom of hell and find out about the other philosophy of life: what it means to serve mammon. No one can escape this eternal judgement of things. That is why Christ says, "Turn to Me." Life in our present state manifests itself in two directions: in contentment and discontentment, in ascending and descending. There are no other directions of thought. It is true that a rich person cannot be a saint; but a poor person cannot be a saint, either if they are discontented. By the word rich I mean a person dissatisfied with him/herself; and by the word poor - a person satisfied with him/herself. When a person gets rich, they become dissatisfied with their state; buys one house, then a second one, a third one, buys some furniture and tries to enlarge this circle. Discontentment shows a rich person; contentment shows a poor person. By saying content I do not mean that you should become indifferent like some fakirs in India who hypnotize themselves and fall asleep. There was one who, in the course of twenty years, concentrated his thoughts and lay so immobile that the birds took him for a tree and started building their nests on his head. I do not approve of such a state of contentment that birds should begin to inhabit your head. God has created trees for that purpose. In order to be content you must begin to work for God and serve Him. To be content means: if you earn three leva today, be happy and thank God. If on the next day you earn three, or four, or five leva, thank God again. Do not say, "How little have I earned!" "Enough for the day is the evil thereof." If you earn a copper penny, thank God for that; if you earn ten coppers, again give thanks to God. This is sufficient for you. The one makes a person happy. If two people love you, they cannot make you happy, you will be unhappy. Love can exist between two people; it does not exist among three persons. In order to give rise to a third element, the two must deposit an equal share and to them their child will be born. The father says, "They love me more." The mother says, "No, they love me more." Sometimes the father scowls at the child's love for the mother and vice versa. Why? Because this principle is not balanced in both parents. Your virtues, your forces will always correspond to your Inner State - neither more nor less. This is the whole truth. When people talk about me, I say, "I deserve it; that is my lot." I do not get angry at the person who speaks badly of me, they are working on me. They will do me good and I must thank them. That is why Christ says, "Love your enemies." You cannot overcome the enemy - the first principle - but by Love. Evil cannot be overcome by evil. To withdraw into yourself and look humble is not the means; you should love them with all your Soul. You will say, "This person has the right to hate me." Do not think that when a wolf catches a sheep, God says to him, "You did not do well." On the contrary, God says to him, "You are doing very well." When the sheep complains to God, He says to it, "It is good you are weeping, you are obliged to weep, but he is obliged to eat you up." The sheep goes out to the meadow and eats the grass. God says to it, "This is your work, you eat the grass, but one day a wolf will eat you up." This is the present evolution of life, but this is not life in the true deep sense of the word. To break stones for thousands of years to pave streets, or to carry water - this is no life. You may be a pack animal, such as a donkey, and carry ten tons of gold from one place to another during your life, but what of that? This is no life. You may have read much, gone to church to hear a sermon, but what of that, what do you know? You have carried 10,000 tons of gold on your back, but what is your knowledge? You may know how different elements combine, but what of that? If I know how may particles comprise the material world, of what use will that knowledge be to me? If I have much riches, but cannot use this wealth, of what use is it to me? If you have a wife who loves you, but your heart is hardened and when your children kiss you, you do not feel anything, of what benefit are your wife and children? The Philosophy in Love is to give and receive at the same time so that the exchange should be right. You say, "He does not love me," that is the first principle. You doubt - that is the first principle. There is no God - that is the first principle. When philosophers say that everything in the world moves, that is true, because the first principle is in eternal motion. Life manifests itself in the second principle, in the right construction of things. The second principle is active in you. Everyone must unite these two principles with Christ. Only in this way will you be useful everywhere - to society, the nation, to women and children and so on. This is what Christ told the Jews 2,000 years ago, but they accepted the first and rejected the second principle. That is why a great misfortune befell them. Today people test the first principle on their backs by this war; and it will go on until people get exhausted. When it finishes its work, Love will be manifested, i.e. God. People say, "He who hates much, loves much." This is half-true. God commits His energy to the second principle, and when it comes, His rational spirit begins to build. You cannot love and hate at the same time. Do not be deceived, this is a false philosophy, a false teaching. When the Divine Principle enters us only then can we love and say, "God is Love." Only then shall we understand the real meaning of the material world since Love is necessary for the development of our life. Just as the houses are necessary to people and as nests are to birds, this principle is vital to the world. Some ask, "Why did God make the world this way?" It is not your business - it could not be made in any other way. Others ask, "Why did not God create that?" Because He could not be untrue to His Nature. "Why did He not manifest Himself?" Because He could not be untrue to His Nature. "Why did He not make the world better and put us in the right way?" He has done that, but you do not understand Him since you think only of your own way, which is as different from His as the earth is from the sky. Two persons quarrel and say, "Why don't You come down, Lord, to reconcile us?" God is not in division. Someday when you grind one another to sand, God will look down from above (with His Eye) and see if anything can be made out of this sand. With a smile, God watches people today - those earthly philosophers and warring nations - and leaves these children to fight, hit one another and weep. Sometimes we want to sting God like a mosquito and bite Him so He would feel it. He, of course, is calm and does not care about all this. He only slightly flips us with his finger and we are carried off to the cemetery. Everyone who bites God goes to the cemetery - God sends them there. Regardless of who they may be - kings, princes, colonels, judges, priests, preachers and philosophers, God knocks them just the same. The same thing applies to you, if you philosophize much, you will fly off. You are like the mosquitoes, too, trying to sting someone. However, when you start on your way to God, you should not take your sting along - the sting of the mosquito - but rather stop, raise your eyes up and sigh. Do not think God is sleeping and does not see anything. God has been looking at you ever since you started from the earth. If you have started toward Him with Love, He will look at you, take pity and say, "You have understood the meaning of life - come to Me." Those who like to sting are pushed away by God until they learn their lesson. I am giving you these thoughts to make you think and start building your life; yet not as you have been building it until now. First of all give up biting. When a man complains that his wife bites, what will God do? He will knock her, she will die and he will be free from her. When a woman complains of her husband, what will God do? He will knock him and the man will die. A son using his sting will have the same fate. This is the way God acts. Some think that God acts like people act and does whatever comes to His mind. This is not true. He makes absolutely no mistakes: in this respect He is All Wise. His deep desire is to see us reconciled, living like brothers, using no violence, never stealing and so on. "What is the use of reconciliation? What have we eaten and drunk up in this world?" you ask. You meet someone who does not greet you and you get offended. Do they owe you anything? Both of you are small beetles moving on the earth. Another person says, "But you must be a gentleman, do not push me!" The force pushing you is a different one. If you take 100,000 small grains of sand and shake them in a bottle, they will ask one another, "Why are we pushing each other, why are we quarreling?" If you enter this first principle which shakes you up, you will ask, "Why are you tormenting us, Lord?" When the bottle breaks, you are spilled around - God liberates you. Thus, God has started to knock people today. He knocks them with the middle finger. The middle finger is the Law of Saturn - of Fate. In the Law of Divine Righteousness everyone must reap what they have sown. I want you to get rid of your old habits and the eyes of your mind must be open when God starts to knock. If your stinger is out, God will knock you. If He knocks you in the evening, you will not meet the day. When He pats you, you will rise from the dead. I wish for God to pat all people, i.e. all people might be touched by the second principle. This is the Christian philosophy which can explain all existing contradictions among people. The misunderstandings arise from the fact that we do not understand each other's language. You want me to give you facts. What facts can I give you? If I give you money, do not think I love you; I may be planning to steal your house. A man visits a poor man to help him. But the poor man's wife is beautiful. Do you know what hidden motives this benefactor has? How do you know he is sincere and would not carry the wife off? What are your arguments about this? There is only one argument: if from birth to death he does not do any harm to anyone, he is a sincere man, there is no deceit in him. There is no greater argument in a person's life than this one. This is how everyone should live. If I only philosophize and do not live as I should, this is deceit in my life. If I live in accord with this Great Law of Life, there is no deceit. You all know this. I notice some who look serious when they are outside, but when they come in, they put on a smile. This is an artificial act. Do you know how the Turkish men speak of a woman who smiles? They say, "She smiles in my face," thinking that she is already with them. Smiling is a bad sign for them, but we consider it a good sign. Yes, but if you get caught by the foot, you will be swallowed up like a frog. I am not alluding to your personal life, but simply state a fact which is taking place in me as well as in all of you. I feel cold and heat, light and darkness, but these things originate outside of us. They are not us, but things separate from us. Light and darkness do not represent our life, but when they are joined in a principle, life is manifested, i.e. the third principle. And this principle can manifest itself only on the equator of life. To sum it up, we cannot serve God and the mammon at the same time. If we serve God, we shall be happy, if we serve mammon, we shall be unhappy; if we serve God we shall be healthy, if we serve mammon, we shall be ill and poor; if we serve God, our stomach will be unimpaired, if we serve mammon it will be sick; if we serve God, we shall be respected in society, if we serve mammon, people will despise us; if a nation serves God, it will be noble, but if it serves mammon, it will become perverse and degenerate; if we serve God, our mind will develop normally, if we serve mammon, our mind will be perplexed and darkened. These are the two principles. When you get up in the morning with a disturbed mind, you should go to God. Turn your mind to Him and if He lays his Hand on you, He will create balance and change your disposition. That is why Christ says, "Come unto Me all you that suffer and are heavy laden, and I shall give you rest." In order to avoid the bad consequences of the first principle, which brings misfortune, walk daily with Christ. The first principle by its nature does not want to bear misfortunes, so it places them on the back of others. Today you learned how to protect yourself from the middle finger of God. When the priests pronounce Benediction, they join the thumb with the fourth finger and raise the other two fingers up; however, they have long ago lost the key. They have forgotten the meaning of the Science of God. In another sermon I shall speak to you about this. It is a whole philosophy which had existed 10,000 years before Christianity. But you will say, "The world was not created such a long time ago, what world was there before Adam?" Before Adam’s fall there was another Adam, another great culture. After Adam fell, people disintegrated and now we say, "We are the first Adam." Your first Adam is a wild vine - divine only at its tail-end and still evolving. Not having anything else, God took some soil and made Adam out of it, leaving him to live in a small paradise as a gardener. We say that our first father was naked. He was naked because a man who allows a woman to lead him by the nose is a silly man. A woman who leaves herself to be led by a snake is silly, too. The Adam you know is not the Son of God. Christ was before Adam and before Abraham. He is the one called the Son of the Living God. When Christ came He said, "I am the One who was before Adam and Abraham." He had lived in that great epoch, great culture when the angels had been singing in the Divine Dawn of Life, in the Golden Age of human life. When sin came into the world, then came the great father - the devil - who now lives within you. That is why you are children of the devil. If you do not realize that you are in sin, you will die, you will always serve mammon and you will never be happy. When I say "the second Adam," I mean Christ. He is second in relation to the Law of Love, but is the Primary of Origin in the manifestation of God. Now I believe that when you return home, you will begin to search for the third principle in yourselves. Those of you who have not studied mathematics much should start with the study of equations; and then as a result of an equation, you will find the third principle. You will place your mind in the first part of the equation, your heart in the second, your body will enter the third part and in these relations you will find what your life will be. Put it in your mind to become united with Christ. Life is in Unity and Harmony. Let every bitter word vanish from you! Let every discontentment and desire to sting your neighbor be done with. This is what serving God means. What serving it would be if I would expose your sins in a sermon and peck at you. This is a false teaching. Pecking is an easy thing, but if I hit you with a hammer, one day you will raise the same hammer over my head. "With whatever measure you mete, it will be meted unto you." Therefore, whatever you hear, do not think I am pecking you because I can keep silent too. I am revealing a Great Truth to you which, after many long years, you will learn yourselves. This is what I have learned during the long years I have spent in matter here on earth. You complain, "My husband is bad," but I shall say that the first principle works in him. The man says his wife is bad - the first principle works in her. The daughter is dissatisfied - the first principle works in her. "The Bulgarian nation is fighting," the first principle is in it. You must think about why people are fighting and why the world is bad. You must think of all this so that someday you will understand. "Let us be Good - that is the second principle. When everything is calmed down, when Peace sets in, then the third principle will come. Therefore, put in your mind the idea of serving God - therein is your salvation. May the blessing of the Love of the Living Lord be with you all. Sermon held on January 21, 1917 _________________________________________________ 1 Luke 16:13 2 The Bulgarian monetary unit. (ed. note)
  17. The Book - The Spirit and The Flesh. Beinsa Douno Translation from Bulgarian - Vessela Nestorova MARTHA AND MARY But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. 41. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42. But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.30 Much has been spoken about Martha and Mary. They represent two principles in the human soul— the active and the passive. In the person of Martha and Mary are presented two women, two opposite characters, two states of the human heart: the one state is calm and silent with a mind directed to an eternal principle, resting on an eternal foundation; the other state is like that of the waves in the sea, like the small branches in a tree—constant bubbling, constant swaying. Christ, however, points out to Martha what is essential by saying to her, "You are cumbered about many things which are not essential, which are outside of reality, but Mary chose something more essential." Many of you belong to these two characters—some are Martha and some—Mary. The Maries are generally noble women. They are good, of an excellent stature, beautiful face, soft look in the eyes, symmetrical forehead, regular nose; in the heart they are soft, delicate, responsive to others' sufferings and ready to help. In Jewish, Mary means salty water. Mary always salts the world and, thanks to her, it does not get spoiled, does not sour up or decay. When you have the principle of Mary in yourself, your heart is not decomposed. Martha comes from Mara, meaning bitter, sour, and turbulent. Therefore, the bitter principle in you is constantly embittered, angered, discontented. It does not do this out of an evil intention, or bad will, but because it is a very active principle which in its motion wants its path to be clear, open. When Martha gets up in the morning, all the servants are up and about, there is much bustling and noisy chatter. However, as soon as she takes the broom, everybody runs as far away from her as they can. She says, "Everything here must be in order." You will meet Martha in churches, in schools, in courts—everywhere. She is just as necessary as Mary is, but you should not give predominance to the one or the other—to the one or the other principle. I shall connect these two principles with two others which I shall formulate as: Principle of the Superior and Principle of the Inferior. The principle in the person of Mary expresses the superior showing us how to serve God and how to be in harmony with the higher beings—the saints and the angels— who know more than us: they know how to humble themselves and submit. We shall sit quietly and calmly at the feet of the Master to receive enlightenment. You will ask, "How many are the Masters?" There is One Master that I know of—the Master is One. He may have 250,000 hairs on His head, but it does not mean that they are 250,000 Masters. A tree may have many branches, but they are not trees. However, one and the same life flows in the tree and in its branches. This is the way you should conceive of unity. And when the Master comes, that is the Spirit, Who is in you, regardless of whether you are a man or a woman, you must listen deeply in yourself to the soft and tender voices of love. Love is not sour, it is a soft, tender power. What do you like in life? Imagine everything in the world in the likeness of Martha—all taking brooms, raising dust and noise. What music would that be? I believe that houses would be in perfect order, there would be fine furniture, fine clothes, we would have wonderful farms, but there would be no life. And conversely, if everything was in the likeness of Mary, all would be salt. But if there were no Marthas what would be salted? Mary has a relation to something else, to another principle, a different foundation. The Superior Principle, Mary, shows the way we should serve God individually. In this service we shall find the sense of our life. To the extent to which we understand the inner sense of our soul, to that extent shall we understand the other beings who live around us. As soon as we have learned the first—the Superior Principle—to submit to God, we shall learn the second principle—to submit all inferior elements, to conquer the Inferior Principle in people. And when contemporary science speaks of conquering Nature, I understand that it wants to conquer Martha who makes much noise. We must learn to be good Masters. Those who have not learned to submit to God and serve Him, cannot be masters. Those who want to be masters must first learn to be servants— to be servants of God and to be submitted to Him. They must learn the higher Law—to sit like Mary at the feet of Christ. Christ says, "That good part Mary chose shall not be taken away from her." I shall give you as an example of this idea a legend. It speaks about the great violinist Paganini. One day during his concert tour in Europe, Paganini came upon an old, around 60 years of age, violinist with shaking hands, blurred eyesight and a small dish beside him, his violin on the ground, since he could play no more. Paganini stopped before the old violinist, picked up his violin and started playing. In a short time a big crowd gathered around him, each one putting a gold or silver coin in the beggar's dish. He played until the dish was full. This is how Paganini paid his tribute to the poor old man. This old man sat at the feet of Paganini as Mary set at the feet of Christ, but he did not say, "Let us see what will come out of all this." He listened to his master's playing. "Yes," he said, "I see now my great Master—the Master of life." The dish is the vessel into which great and good thoughts are poured. When this great Master starts playing in you, your vessel will be filled with noble thoughts and desires and you will be weak and crippled no more, but become young, vigorous, good and strong. I would wish that in a given case you would do the same. This does not mean that you should devote all your life to serving, for when Christ commended Mary, He only wanted to say, "I do not want you to give me all your time in service, but only your spare time, no matter how little it may be. The rest of the time you are free to do your duties in life." The great teaching does not want in the least our neglecting the duties in life. Only that hour, set aside for Mary, must be given her. Paganini does not always stop, this is a rare moment. He takes the violin, plays for a while and passes on. In the same way, Christ will stop some day before you when you are burdened, tired of life, thinking your life has no sense, that you are of no use to anyone, that the art you are studying is of no value. Then He will stop before you and start playing on your violin. Therein is happiness—to hear how a great Master plays or paints, or to see a great artist. This is the teaching we should study, the teaching of revering God and submitting ourselves to Him; only by this submission we shall learn great Virtues. What does present day friction, or conflict, among people spring from? From the fact that people are sour, not soft and tender. If all people were soft and tender, life would be happy both outwardly and inwardly. If people would have mutual respect for one another and were pliant, there would be great harmony in life. I do not commend people who quarrel daily, they murmur every day against God. We hear murmuring everywhere—scientists, doctors, professors, priests, and preachers—all are murmuring. If someone is a shepherd, he will say that his sheepfold is small, he would want a bigger one—this is murmuring too. The learned person murmurs that few abilities have been given to them. Who is to blame? Always God is blamed. I am not speaking about you, who are here, but about those who are in the world—everybody is murmuring. The Law of the superior life requires of you that gratefulness and love of God should always spring from your heart. Some people ask, "Where is God? How can we find Him?" Even little children can find God. Already 2,000 years have passed since the philosophers have begun to prove by argumentation where God is—in the sky, on the stars, on the Earth or in the human heart. They are still looking for Him, but no one has found Him. The preachers say He is in the human heart; the astronomers say he is in the Universe as the Law of gravitation. Some say He exists, others deny His existence. I shall use a figure to show you on what these philosophers base themselves. Imagine that God, like the Sun, rises and sets every 24 hours from east to west. Moreover, imagine that when God rises, you fall asleep and sleep until He has set and after He has set, you wake up and look for Him all night. When you do not find Him, you fall asleep again when dawn breaks and after He has set again, you look for Him all night. A day, two days, a month, a year, ten or more years pass and you are seeking Him all the time and do not find Him anywhere. I say: only change the relation of things and you will find God—sleep at night and be awake in the morning when the Sun rises. I see Him every day: I sleep at night, but in the morning, when dawn breaks, I get up and meet Him. This is the philosophy of life. God rises as the Sun. What do people do at night at present? They go to concerts, balls, to theaters and when God rises, they are sleeping. They are aristocrats, of noble birth. All people who sleep in the morning and in the daytime are of the culture of the owls. That is why they suffer. But this night culture must be substituted by the culture of the day. As soon as day breaks, you will get up and stand waiting at least haft an hour, then God will appear before your face and you will draw from Him strength, energy and health and the whole day you will be bright and cheerful, working with vigor. Some philosophers say, "God is an aristocrat, He does not accept everybody, so we must appear dressed up before Him." Now, I shall use another figure as an objection. When the Sun rises, all animals—good and bad, beautiful and ugly— come our in their clothing such as it is. God shines upon everyone—the snakes and the lizards, the mosquitoes and the loathsome creatures who do so much harm. He does not say to them, "You must hide in your hole!" In the same way you can appear before God and bask in His Light and heat. This is the sense of life. We do not suffer from the fact that there are many snakes on the Earth; their number is determined, they are in their place, but when they become twice as many as they are, the extra number must be destroyed by all means. When the number of the wolves is within the determined bounds, they are in their place, but when they multiply too much, again the extra number must be destroyed. Thus, if you do not put to work every thought and every desire you have, i.e., if you have not learned to serve God, this thought and this desire will command you. And then by the same Law, as you oppose God, your desires and thoughts will oppose you. If you can apply in your life what I am telling you, you will see how efficient it is and what results you will have. Some say, "Let us educate the world, discipline the people!" In this sense, I do not believe in disciplining, because all people are individual cells of the Divine organism, of the Divine body and each one must discipline itself individually. I cannot command anyone. To command a person is sacrilege, lying to God. I do not want to command. Why? Because all people are God's and I have no right to command and misuse another's possessions, I have the right to be master only of my thoughts and desires—I can command them. However, I must be a servant to everything outside of me. You must do the same. Now we shall come down to the inferior elements—the irrational. What is said in the first chapter of Genesis? "God created heaven, the first day and then—the Earth." Heaven implies Mary, and earth—Martha. The Earth was not organized, or was sour. The people of learning say that when Martha appeared, there was storm, a hurricane, fire, steam rising and then God said, "Martha, Martha, you are making big noise, but progress does not lie in that. Mary chose the good part. Look up!" The Earth, Martha, looked up and started turning round itself and round the Sun. That way life appeared on it, many creatures were created and finally—humans. When God finished His work, He said, "Everything about Martha is good." And that was the first day, then came the second, to the seventh day. Now some of you are Martha—making a noise and flames coming out of their hearts and minds. Martha has no lakes or rivers, but the great Master says, "Martha, Martha, be not worried! Only one thing is necessary—heaven, the rational, the great thing in the world. Look up to heaven, it will give sense to your life." When you look up your spirit will immediately start moving regularly round its center and you will find the sense of your life. To find sense in life means to have a center around which to move and which center will daily supply what is necessary for your needs. Thus, God has created in us simultaneously both Martha and Mary—the two poles of the human soul. I could explain the inner meaning of these two principles active in the world, but when much knowledge is accumulated and is not applied, certain sediments are formed and people become confused, not knowing what to do. A student from an Evangelical school, who wanted to excuse himself for not knowing his lesson in Bulgarian grammar, said to his teacher, "There are many grammar textbooks in Bulgarian by Ikonomov, Grigorov and others, which one should I study from?" He excused himself this way once, twice, but finally the teacher said to him, "Listen, friend, I do not want to know what the grammar books of Ikonomov and Grigorov say, I want you to study my grammar!" When God comes to you, you say, "There are philosophers like Kant, Schopenhauer, Tolstoy who say so and so, but there is contradiction among them, who shall we follow?" God will say, "You will follow what I tell you." When you want to follow the Divine Truth, you must go deep into your soul, only then will you understand life in its deep sense. Different abilities will come to birth within you and you will see other, greater beings than you and then you will say, "How blind we have been!" I ask, if you were in the state of an ant and some philosopher would step on you and smash you, what would you think of his feet? You would say that a big rock fell on you and smashed you. But this rock is only a small part of this giant. Some day you say, "Fate is against me, it persecutes me." Fate is nothing other than the foot of some great philosopher who has stepped upon you. Do not stand in the path of the philosophers, of the learned people, they will not stop because of you, they march on their way and if you interfere, the foot of the philosopher will smash you. When you complain, I shall say, "Your place is not on this philosophical path, you are ants and must choose other paths." This is a philosophy of life. When I see the misfortune of a person, I look up and notice a giant who has stepped on them and smashed them. God has made the world and all other worlds. In the Milky Way, there are 18,000,000 suns and each one of them is moving along its definite orbit. There is a distance of 25 billion kilometers from one sun to another, so that collision should be avoided. God has drawn these orbits. He has drawn an orbit for your life as well, has given you a certain space and has said, "Never pass beyond the boundaries of your kingdom." You want to make a contract with some other kingdoms; the men and the women of two kingdoms made a contract to form one kingdom and quarreled in the end. Why should they quarrel? Let everyone reign in their kingdom. Someone says, "Come, let us put our money together in the same place to preserve it." Let everyone keep their money in their own purse! Do not entrust your money to anyone. On earth, no matter whom you may entrust it, it will be taken away anyhow. That is why Christ says, "Lay your treasures up above—this is the true sense of life." So we are wrong in that we want to distort the life God has ordered. I know of people who hate someone and carry them everywhere in their minds. Leave that person alone and hold only onto God! He lights up everything, allow Him in your holy of holies. People today are polytheists; they have Gods of labor, of glory, of power and burn incense to all of them. Take your hammer, throw all these idols out, or break them up, then sit at the feet of your Master and you will understand the deep sense of your life. This is what Christ means by the words, "The good part Mary has chosen shall not be taken away from her." You worry about many things, taking care of this and that thing, yet you are master of these things; so take them and throw them out. I have noticed how some masters sit in their chairs, like me now, and give orders. They want to be given something which they themselves can take, but they ring the bell once, twice and finally they go out and start scolding the servant. Their calmness and peace are of more value, however, than the fact that the servant has not brought their chosen shoes at once. Do not wait for others to do the things you can do yourself. Go and take your shoes and then moralize the servant to do their duties properly. This is what God wants of you, because this servant is not yours, but someone else's. When I say I am a servant, I do not have in mind you, the people; I am a servant of God. In London a Baptist preacher once went to see another preacher by the name of Spurgeon and to give himself more importance, he wrote on the visiting card, "One of your brothers in Christ is waiting outside, wishing to see you." Spurgeon wrote on the other side of the card, "Now, I have work with our Master." If anyone comes from outside and says a brother of yours in Christ is waiting for you, tell them you are speaking with their Master. Therefore, the servant you are calling from outside to bring you your shoes, has work with their Master and if you break their peace, their Master will take you by the ear. This is the greatest philosophy people today must learn. We must be servants of God. When we learn this great Law, our relations will be normalized. I see how this Law works: when you are in a good mood, all people seem pleasant, but if you are indisposed and have gotten up on the wrong side of bed, the whole day people will seem in the wrong and annoy you. This state may last a week, or a month, we call it a new philosophy— pessimism—and such people—pessimists. In order to justify the weakness of some person, you say they are pessimists. This is according to the words of Schopenhauer. In this sense, you are all philosophers. Bulgarians stand even higher than Schopenhauer, all have this pessimistic trait—the Bulgarian is easily discouraged and falls into despair and then comes Schopenhauer's philosophy, Martha comes. I say—you are obliged to submit to God! Since you do not serve God, all these misfortunes come to you. There is no other fate in the world! The day you submit to God, to your fate, all others submit to you. This is the teaching of Martha and Mary. Mary—this is heaven, Martha—the Earth. Mary this is the higher state of the heart, Martha—the lower state of the heart, Mary—this is the higher state of the mind, the Theosophists call it manas31 superior, Martha is the inferior manas. When you go to your homes, which I see as beautiful and splendid, say to yourself, "Come, Martha, come, Mary, you are two good sisters." Christ is the superior Spirit, the superior principle. If Mary would have answered Martha, she would have said, "Wait for a while, I want to listen and after that I shall help you." Christ was speaking, that is why Mary was not working. When you return home, if you get angry and start talking loudly, say to yourself, "Martha, do you know what the Master says? You must submit!" Mary should be noble, delicate, and speak kindly to her, saying, "Sister, wait a while, I shall be of service to you a little later," and when her sister speaks petulantly, she should say, "How nicely, how pleasantly you are speaking!" There is a certain harmony between the noble and the ignoble, as there is a relation between Love and hate. I know both sisters. Whoever comes between them, they stifle them out of love and when the person dies, they say, "What have we done?" Love says, "Come, let us raise them!" Hate says, "I shall bury them." "All right," says Love. They put some earth on the person, but then comes Love and after heating them up from above, she raises them up. Hate and Love work together in the world, but you have such a bad opinion of hate, of envy. They are really snakes and lizards, but in some cases they are pleasant. What would the world be like without snakes, lizards, flies, and so on? Point out such a world! How is your world better than this? No, the way this world is made is great in its intentions, in its expressions and manifestations. What you are constantly complaining of is the disharmony within you, it is Martha—the unorganized earth. The noise which is constantly taking place in you is namely what disturbs this harmony. God's Spirit must descend and say His word. And so the Spirit has come down, giving orders. He is working. You must have an indomitable faith in the principle, living in Mary. Have faith also in the principle, living in Martha. Have faith in Christ, for Christ, Who is above them, joins them. You also should join these three—your spirit, your Mary and your Martha—and should start the New Year with this act. I will not complete what I have said, but will leave a great interval, a gap, to see how you will solve the puzzle. I am a clairvoyant and when I look at your future, I see how some rise, others fall, some follow the spiritual path, while others twist and turn. In the end, all will be well, only that there will be swaying and loitering. When people get on a big ocean liner, some people throw up because of the constant swaying of the ship, but others do not. How interesting these aristocrats are on the ocean! The first day, they are in high spirits, well-dressed, decked with rings, and necklaces, all happy and content. When the ship starts swaying, everybody begins to look thoughtful like philosophers, listening to an important lecture. The second day, they begin to feel sick to the stomach, start eating lemons, laying on the floors and vomiting. When they land and are asked how they crossed the ocean, they say, "We arrived safe and sound." Yes, but when you cross this ocean from earth to heaven, how many times will you vomit! You will say, "Passing this ocean is serious business!" As soon as you reach the land, you will have good appetites, because you will be well cleaned up. This Martha in the ocean raises much noise around herself, shakes ships, creates weeping and wailing, but as soon as you step on the shore, and Mary comes, you say, "Thank God, we are safe and sound!" Fear not! Be always with your great Master that you may solve the problem of life. You have many complex problems in life: bringing up children, relations between men and women, relations to society and humanity. You have many obligations. How will you finish them? Some think that when they become Christians, they have no obligations. No, just the opposite—a Christian has more obligations and must fulfill them very well. When a day ends, they must feel a great inner calm that they have done what they should have done and if anything had been omitted, to put it in their program for the next day. One day you will be Martha, another day—Mary, but when you are at the feet of your Master, then let both Martha and Mary calm down, for an hour let all and everything calm down. This is the teaching and the thought Christ sets forth. Learn to serve the Superior that you may be masters of the inferior! Sermon held on January 14, 1917, in Sofia _____________________ 30. Luke 10:40-42. 31. Manas—(Sanskrit) the mind, all mental expression of the human psychological faculties (ed. note).
  18. The Book - The Spirit and The Flesh. Beinsa Douno Translation from Bulgarian - Vessela Nestorova GROW IN GRACE ! But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?32 Growth is a process of development. What must grow? People often say, "An apple must grow, a tree, branches, leaves, blossoms—these things must grow and develop." But in the quoted verse, we understand that the human soul must grow. The human soul should grow, and the human spirit should attain the knowledge of grace. Which grace? God's. The word grace is broad, it implies the conditions under which a person must live up in heaven and down on earth. The Earth, which is so often mentioned in the sacred books, is so enormous that an innumerable number of people can live on it. In the Scriptures it is called The Promised Land. You are aspiring for this earth which God created originally. The Earth on which you live is so small, it is of microscopic size; compared in size it is not even as large as a small island like Cyprus. Paul and Peter say that heaven will be enflamed and the Earth will pass through fire. Many interpret fire as a destructive element. In fact it is destructive, but it also constructs. For the fire which came down from the Sun has constructed our earth, it has also built our bodies and created thoughts and feelings in us. Everything freezes without fire. Therefore, the word growth implies fire as well. The fire which destroys is the coarse fire. Present day science has made the following experiments: if someone is placed under 2-3,000 volts of electricity, they die and in some countries criminals are electrocuted by such a current. However, if 10-50,000 volts of electricity run through the human body, all illnesses will disappear, the face will become youthful and bright; in a word, one will be fully rejuvenated. According to the present ideas of logic, one should burn up by such a fire. The fire which destroys people is their passions. They destroy the body and the soul simultaneously. Being free of these passions means not warming oneself on destructive fire. When Paul says grow, he means a function under the influence of the Divine fire, or of these 10-50,000 volts that will purify and renew the people they pass through. The word knowledge implies an understanding of the Laws by which this growing may be effected. Growing is twofold: upward and downward. When you are looking yourself in the mirror, you have a reflection. If anyone asks you by what Laws this reflection is effected, you will answer readily, "There is a reflection." But I would like to know the basic Law by which this reflection is effected. The physicists explain the mechanical aspect of an object the way the astronomers explain the mechanical aspect of the universe, as for instance what the Sun is like, its elements, its temperature, but what the Sun actually is remains a secret. From the Earth we can suppose this and that, but when a person becomes spiritual, they will be able to test the truth about the growing Paul speaks about. If you want to know whether there is life on the moon or not, you will take your bag, buy a ticket and in a few hours you will verify this truth. The same way one can go to the Sun and test what it is like. Now we study things only by way of reflection, but the reflections are not always true. Every reflection has an inner and outer side; you access only the outer side, while the inner side remains concealed. You say, "I know this man." But you know only his shadow. "His eyes are black." This is, however, his shadow. "His beard is white." This is his shadow. "He is handsome." All this is a shadow. This man, who looks handsome to you in the daytime, is black at night. If the inner lamp changes its position, the inner Light of a person will change too. This is growth of the shadows, because the shadows can grow too—they can become smaller or bigger. For instance, when the Sun rises in the morning, the shadows are bigger; around noon they grow quite small and after sunset, they disappear. I am making this analogy, because you are people of the shadows—you study the creation of the cinematographer. If I speak differently, you will say, "Prove this!" In order to prove it, I must get you a ticket so you can come along with me to the Sun and then to the moon. You are people of the shadows, i.e. fictitious, not real beings. After fifty years, you will see yourself that you are fictitious. Where will you be then? In order not to be shadows, you must pass from the temporary to the eternal, to seek God, meaning to seek His Light and heat. This Light will introduce in you that ideal which you are longing for. A person is born as a small baby, gradually grows big, but is discontented all the time. He wants to marry and tries to find a beautiful girl and thinks until he finds her, but as soon as he finds her, he is discontented again—calls her evil as a snake. Then the two of them want children and have them, but find the children bad too. Then they hope when their children will marry to be materially well off, but nothing comes out of that. Thus, the life of people today consists only of shadows, but there is no reality whatsoever in these shadows. This is a pleasant life, but there is no growth in it, no Divine process. Therefore, by the word growing I understand that only the spirit can grow and develop; only the real, the changeless grows. This substance which is deposited in us can undergo millions of eternal changes; this is a great Divine Law. At times a bad thought attacks you—that is a shadow. You say, "I hate that person." How can you hate her when you do not know her? Or, how can you ask a person for money, if you have never given her any money? In the world the shadows exist by necessity in order that the genesis of things may stand out. The more shadows there are in the world, the more our mind will stand out and will be the basis of knowing things, because knowledge cannot exist without shadows. You say you are suffering—that is a shadow, in order that you may learn the conditions of the new life. Therefore, growth is the cause of all changes which take place inwardly and outwardly. If you understand life this way, you will come to reality itself, i.e. to the testing of things. When a teaching is in accord with the reality of genesis, or with the Laws God has created in the world, it can always be put to a test. A doctor comes and says, "I have a medicine which cures this illness." If this medicine is real, it must cure the patient as soon as he takes it; but if this does not happen, the medicine is not real and the doctor only deludes people. A man comes and says, "I bring you a teaching, if you accept it, you will raise yourself." If this teaching raises you, it is real. Thus, growth is a process necessary for the building of your spiritual body. The physical body is necessary as a scaffolding on the outside; if it is not raised, the spiritual body cannot be raised either. First of all, the physical world was created as scaffolding, while the spiritual world is constantly being constructed and organized to this day. In the Scriptures, there are verses which say that first heaven—the Divine World—was created and then the Earth—the physical world. The Earth is not organized yet, God is still organizing it. He created the world in six days: the sixth day He created human beings and on the seventh He rested. Now He is at work again. Moses says, "God rested." Christ says, "My Father is working." At the present time He is still working. God's rest implies His going out of His genesis and from there scrutinizing everything. He has created and then returned again to continue His work. His present work brings fire. He says, "This world lacks fire." When this fire comes, it will bring growth and knowledge of grace. When I speak of the world, I always mean human beings. The world is known to you to the extent you have a relation to it. All elements of the external world, of external Nature are connected with your body and with your mind, as a result of which all the changes taking place in you, the indisposition of your spirit, depend on the changes in Nature. If a wolf has been hungry for three or four days, or a week, he will pray to God for food. You respond to his thought and suffer along with him. All things in life are connected; that is why you experience equally both joys and sorrows. Someone says, "I cannot tolerate this man." Tolerate him, because he is part of you. If you ruin him, you will ruin yourself. Therefore, by growth, I understand the growth of our spiritual body which represents a unit of the Divine harmony. You say, "The world is not organized yet." It is not organized but work is necessary in order to organize it. We are the plants which must work; we receive and process the materials, then we give them to God. You eat a hen, a sheep, a lamb—that becomes a part of you which goes to the building of the world. From this point of view all sufferings will be justified. We have all suffered in the world that is why we shall live all together. Some day you will realize that the bugs are your brothers too. When a bug is biting you, or sucking blood from you, it is saying, "I must do this in order to build my house." In all beings conscious and unconscious processes are taking place. The conscious process is effected so powerfully that you must grow up in a short period, as wheat grows in May; and you must bear fruit in a short period of time, because growing has in view blossoming and blossoming—fruit bearing. Growing is a life in which blossoming, setting and ripening of the fruit take place. There is no setting and ripening without blossoming. Are you blossoming? "No." Then you will not manifest yourself. People, like the flowers, find their expression only when they blossom and bear fruit. Love is manifested only when plants are blossoming; it is the same with people. When there is blossoming in the physical world, the physical ripening comes, the physical love; when this process is over, a spiritual blossoming and ripening takes place in a person. One must blossom at least seven times, i.e. set seven fruit at least. We must blossom up at the same time in seven worlds, but this blossoming up is achieved consecutively. Therefore, when blossoming in the physical world loses its sense for you, this blossoming should be taken up above. Why do you die? Dying is nothing other than going to a higher world for growth. When you do not have conditions for growing in the physical world, you die; when you have conditions—you are born. Therefore, those who are not acquainted with the deep sense of life find that in the blossoming of the branches and growing of the roots there is a certain contraction. When water comes out of a spring, would it not flow in all directions? If you open a jar full of steam, would not these vapors spread in all directions at the same time? Thus, the life which has sprung up from a center sends its roots downward. And conversely, at night, when the Earth has turned, we are with our feet up. The same is true of a tree: in the course of 24 hours, first the branches are turned up, and then the roots are up. You will say that people are with their heads up. Human beings are double trees: they have roots up, which means the Divine World; also they have roots down in the stomach, which means the physical world. When the Earth turns, you also turn with your feet toward God, and then the roots of your stomach are turned to Him. So every 24 hours both the feet and the head turn toward God. Before God, the feet and the head have an equal meaning. Why? Because in the spiritual world, the feet are the ground on which you build your house. They are the soil on which your life may grow. Now in the process of growing, you should love all people, alive or dead, who have a reflection and live in you. You have a John inside and a John outside; you have an angel inside and one outside; you have a devil inside and one outside. Heaven and earth live at the same time in your soul. There are good and bad spirits in you who get along well. Some people who hate the evil spirits say that there is disputing between them and the angels, so they think they are quarrelling. There arises a dispute only when we meddle in their work. Otherwise a complete balance exists between them. As soon as we meddle in their work, a struggle begins. When there is a dispute between two spirits, you should only listen. The dispute is a conversation between them. The students are not allowed to meddle with the business of the teacher. The bad and good spirits are great teachers. You have no right to pass judgment, but only to listen; such is the Law. If you interfere in their work, they will beat you and say, "Listen, you are a small baby; you should not interfere, but listen." Often people complain of attacks by the evil spirits. I tell them that the evil spirits do not care at all about you; they are not interested in your existence. They have only stopped under the shadow of your tree to talk, but you have overheard them. People are babies not born yet. "The evil spirits tell me to do this or that," some say. They do not say this to you, but to themselves and you say, "Wait, let me do this!" The Apostle Paul says, "Grow in the grace of Christ, in order to know the spirits." Up till now the world has always used charms and conjurations against the evil spirits. In the church the Vassil Prayers are all conjurations against them, but evil spirits still exist. That is why Christ says, "Resist not evil." The evil spirits have their own work and when they are doing it, let them be free, do not interfere. I have heard how some Christians quarrel among themselves, "You are ignorant, but I have graduated university and have learned something." If you have graduated and have knowledge, you will keep silent, because there is conversation in silence, which brings power and growth. Those who do not know how to keep silent have no knowledge; they know only the rod. Silence is actually growth— this is how plants grow. They are silent, only at night a faint cracking can be heard—they are whispering to each other. They are not like people, who want the whole world to hear, if they have done some good. The hen acts the same way after laying an egg, she cackles so that everybody should hear her. What of it that she has laid an egg? That is her duty. It is a question whether she laid it, or it was laid for her. When an ass carries a burden of precious things, he says, "I carried the precious things." We must know that having come to earth, we are servants of God. Someone says, "Humans have free will." But I say that those who live in this essential, unchanging world where God lives and serve God, understand His Laws and orders, only they are free and only they can have a free will. We must find time to accelerate this growth of which I am speaking, i.e. the building of your body. Often your saying that you have no time for this, no time for that provides the occasions for disobedience. An English preacher once visited a poor boy—a sweeper—and asked him, "Does anyone come to see you?" "Yes, Mr. Gladstone."33 Who?" "The English statesman." How strange that in spite of his great tasks, he found time to visit a poor sweeper! Why? Who lives in this sweeper? Gladstone realizes that one of his brothers lives in him and says, "I must visit him!" When someone rises in life today, they do not recognize even their father and mother, thinking this will infringe on their greatness and high position. There is nothing greater than knowing our obligations. The greatest trait of God is that in spite of His numberless great tasks, He always finds time to visit some sinful soul, the way Gladstone acted. God always finds a few minutes free to visit someone, to leave a good thought, or render His help. And when everyone attacks you like swarms of mosquitoes, God appears and says, "Fear not! I am here; I am with you to help you." When God does this, say to Him, "Give us strength to grow and become free from transitory things, to know Your Will." Do not say, "They attacked me, but they will see who I am!" We often say in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy Will be done!" You do not know the Name of God, the Kingdom of God, and you want to fulfill the Will of God. You will be like that mother who sews skirts and pants for her child which has not been born yet. In the process of seeking the Name of God, the Kingdom of God and the Will of God, will come the Kingdom of Heaven. You must have the valor of that Russian king of whom Tolstoy tells a legend. The murder of King Peter I, in which Alexander I was also involved, cased great pangs of conscience in the latter and darkened his soul to the extent that nowhere could he find rest. The glamour of the throne and the vain pleasures had not the power to distract and calm him. He withdrew into himself more and more until finally he decided to abdicate and start living in Taganrog34 as an ordinary citizen. One day while walking in the environs of the city, he noticed that crowds were gathered round two rows of soldiers unarmed, but each holding a rod. An old soldier was brought with arms tied to a gun. They took off his shirt and while the drum was beating, he was subject to a horrid punishment, "passing under the rods." Alexander looked the soldier in the face and was amazed at the great likeness between them. He asked about the crime of the unhappy soldier. They told him that when the soldier heard his father was on the death-bed, he asked permission to go and part with him. After being denied that, the soldier tried to run away, but was caught. He tried to escape a second time but was caught once more and this time was severely punished to pass between the two rows of soldiers under the blows of 8,000 rods. This penalty meant certain death. Hearing the sounds of the blows and the groans of the dying man, who soon stopped groaning, Alexander was horrified. "My God," he thought, "all this only for a reason that he wanted to kiss his father's hand as a farewell and receive his blessing! That poor man is tortured so cruelly, in my name too!" He compared his attitude to his father with that of the soldier and seeing how much lower he stood than him, Alexander started weeping bitterly. After being informed by the doctors that the soldier would not live after the 4,000 blows, he made arrangements the soldier to be clothed secretly in his outfit and to be carried in Alexander's room. He, on his part, dressed in the soldier's uniform, submitted himself to the remaining 4,000 blows. These he bore to the end and survived because the soldiers, taking pity on the exhausted soldier, did not hit him hard anymore. The soldier, disguised in the Emperor's clothes, was carried to the palace, where he died. The great similarity between the two served for an official announcement that the emperor had died. In reality, the emperor wandered away, giving himself over to kindly deeds the rest of his life. Tolstoy ends the story with the death of Alexander in the following words, "What a moment of triumph must have been his death! What liberation of the soul!" I ask, how many of my listeners will be ready to bear at least ten blows for their brother? And after all this people are pretenders, preparing themselves for heaven! I say, the inner sense of growth is in learning to discriminate the shadows from the real things, to liberate one's soul by bearing all sufferings. When a pear and an apple are growing, that is done for the sole purpose to give fruit which will bear a new being. Some want to marry and have children. Why? They want to marry, because they are already tired and cannot do anything else. As soon as they marry and have a son or a daughter, they will finish their parents' work. Someone says, "I do not want to be married." That means you are strong. If you cannot finish your work yourself, you must get married. By the word development I understand that either we must finish the work God has assigned for us, or give our place to others to finish it. That is why people are born and reincarnate—descend and ascend—on this earth. Some day when you say you are tired, God will ask you, "Do you want to give your place to your brother who will finish your work?" The knowledge I give you now is elementary. In the future, you will learn something more. God has already started the reorganization of the world. In this epoch of growth, we are under the most favorable conditions, under the effect of the Divine fire. In this fire, the hard things will melt, matter will be refined and God will form out of it a world of a different order. Those who will not finish their development will be sent by God to another place. There is no perishing in the world, one is only deprived of the duty, or work, one is not doing. In our schools, they keep you two or three years in the same class until you can pass it. The same refers to life itself. Now it is desirable that this thought should become central in your mind. It is not important what work you are doing, whether you are a mathematician, or a doctor—these are shadows, forms in life. The essential thing is to sanctify the name of God and to implant the Will of God in your soul. Those who want to be strong must give first place to the following: the name of God, which is the supreme good; the Kingdom of God—in relation to the Earthly life. The spiritual world is connected with the physical world—humans are at the same time spiritual and physical beings. These two elements exist in us simultaneously: there is a bond between the two beings, which keeps them together and directs them. This bond is the soul which is semi-spiritual and semi-material. You can never change this state of things. By the words physical matter I understand the world of forms necessary for the manifestation and genesis of things; by the words Spiritual World I understand those forces which work for the creation of these forms; Soul, on the other hand, implies the conditions that prepare the construction of these forms. Therefore, life cannot be manifested without forms. Every Soul must have a body in the world in order to be manifested as an individual unit. She must have a body so that God can visit her. Can you invite guests, if you have no house? When a man wants to marry, he first has his house made, as the birds who want to lay their eggs first make their nests. Do not take my words in their literal meaning. Every person must have house, but where must it be built? In the spiritual world. They will not receive you in heaven, if you have no house; there you must have a house by all means. Growing implies the idea of having a garden around your house with flowers and fruit-trees to decorate it. In order to grow, you should forget your shadows, your misunderstandings. All things existing in the world today are shadows; when you fall asleep for a long time, everything will disappear: France, England, Germany will disappear in your mind; there will be no wars; you will forget all about sugar, rice, your debts, you will forget everything. Why? Because all these things are shadows. To know a person in the real sense of the word, you should love them. Only those who love know people. Someone may say, "I love, but I suffer and fear." Since you fear, you have no love. Love does not tolerate any fear. All contradictions, of one kind of another, cause unpleasant troubles for people. However, the human spirit cannot develop without hardships. This teaching should be preached to open-minded people today. Only then will your home be freed from the sufferings which are essentially fictitious. There are magnetizers who hypnotizing a person draw a line before them and tell them they can go only that far and meet a wall on their way and the hypnotized person actually cannot pass that line where the other people do not see any wall there. When the magnetizer blows, the wall disappears. Now the devil has raised such a wall in the minds of people. He has drawn a line and they see many obstacles and hardships which are in fact shadows, not reality. Everything in the world is possible. How is everything possible? For instance, if you have been hungry for several days and pray to God for a piece of bread, He will give it to you, but if you want from Him 7-8 loaves, He will not give them to you. These are true facts which you can test yourselves. People should give up their greed and not desire more than what is necessary to them. If you have one kilo of sugar, be content with that, do not want more. Can all people be millionaires at one and the same time? As the growth of a tree has its limits, so people have a limit of growth on the physical plane: when they come to the age of 21, they reach a height after which their body stops growing, but the mind, soul and spirit continue their development. These are great things which you will understand when your eyes are opened. You must pray to God to open your eyes as Elisha, one of Israel's prophets, did. One night the Syrian king sent a great army against Elisha to take him and bring him to the king. When Elisha's servant saw the great number of the enemy's army, he was scared and said, "What shall we do now, my master?" "Fear not for those who are with us are more than those who are against us." Elisha prayed that God might open the servant's eyes to see all. Then the servant saw the forest around Elisha full of horses and carriages. When the Syrians approached him, Elisha prayed to God, saying, "Smite these men with blindness." Then Elisha led them to Samaria and said, "God, open the eyes of these men that they may see." God opened their eyes and they saw they were in Samaria by the king of Israel. When Israel's king saw them, he asked Elisha, "My father, shall I smite them?" But he said, "Do not smite them but set bread and water before them and after they are fed, send them to their master." People today ask, "What will become of us?" Those who are with us are more than those who are against us. Who are against us? Our thoughts and feelings—our shadows which we have been creating for years! Say to yourself, "I have created these thoughts—these wolves and bears—and I am not afraid of them." Some say they have strong faith. They can test the power of their faith, if they were placed among wolves and bears in a menagerie. If you fear, if you are tempted and yield, if you hate—God is not with you. The Christians must be heroes. Heroes are necessary for this world. You must bear up all misfortunes and say, "May the name of God be sanctified and may God's grace come!" You will say that so many people have died. In my view they have not died, but have been raised up. I would wish to go with them. It is a glorious thing to go to Heaven! Some people are afraid of death. They love God, but when death comes they call the doctors. God is not with them. When death comes, say, "I am coming, Lord, prepare new work for me there." I do not want anyone listening to me today to fear. Enter the place of your lions, tigers, snakes and pat them. Until you learn to pat the snakes and the crocodiles, God cannot be with you. Take as an example Daniel who did not suffer among the lions, but said, "God, Who is with me, will tame the lions." When you are among your lions, I wish you would call to God to shut their mouths. Be resolute and not faint-hearted! Now equality and brotherhood should be preached everywhere, not only seemingly, but in practice. Scientists and great people must set an example of how we should live. You may be a chemist, an astronomer, a judge, a priest—harness all your forces for the good of humanity. We are not far from this—the fire is coming, there will be a great heating, but be unafraid: those who are with us are more than those who are against us. Let all people know that God is coming into the world to restore order, Lawfulness and justice. And you men and women who are given these lovely names by God, will submit to the new order. There is not better name in the world than man and woman. But now both men and women complain of their state. The men say, "Woe unto us who were born as men to go to war!" The women say, "Woe unto us who were born women that we should bear children!" It is not woe unto anyone; on the contrary, it is a great blessing that you were born such as you are, destined for so great a work! Reconcile yourselves inwardly. "How can we do that?" Do not say anything about anybody! Be reconciled in your soul with all your brothers, with all the subjects you have! Call to God that His name may be sanctified and His Spirit glorified in you and that you may grow up to fulfill what God has assigned to you! You will not die; from now on good conditions for gaining knowledge are coming, you will study astronomy, mathematics, and so on. Some say that mathematics is a very easy science; everything is implied in the numbers up to 10. But how many million relations there are among these ten numbers! Some say: "We should be good," that is 1; "we should be just," that is 2; "we should be loving," that is 3; "we should be wise," that is 4; "we should be truthful," that is 5. We have come to five. "Let us be good and just," it is 1 and 2; "let us be good, just and loving," it is 1 and 2 and 3; "in addition, let us be wise," it is 1 and 2 and 3 and 4. No, this is not any science. In the number 1 we must understand the Law of one, the soil, the elements; we must make use of chemistry and see what grows in the one and then say: there grow apples, cherries, grapes, wheat, rice, cabbage, carrots and so on. This one will determine what elements are needed for the apples, for the pears. In our mind we say, "Let us be good." To be good, we should work. We can be just too, but we must work. Good, Justice, Wisdom—everything comes from above. You say, "We want to be good." Come to me and I shall teach you how to be good. I shall take a nail and when I heat it up, it will become good. Where is the hearth? It is in your heart. Take the bellows and coal, start a fire and put the nail in it—your thoughts—and heat them up. This is the process by which we must work within ourselves. In this sense, Christianity is an alchemical science. You listen to me and say, "My heart is heavy, I am sad." Why? Because you have closed your windows and do not allow the Divine Light to pass through them. God can live in you, but you have not opened your windows to let Him in. If sometime He slaps you, say, "God, I thank You for visiting me." Interpret your husband's slap the same way. Why do you thrash the walnut tree? That the nuts may fall from it. So God comes to you and asks you, "Have you any fruit to give me?" If a brother slaps you, invite him to your house and set for him food and drink. What food? The food of the new spiritual teaching. If you teach him the new teaching, he will pick the walnuts by his hand; otherwise he will bring them down by throwing stones at them. It is like this everywhere today: men, women, teachers, students, priests, preachers—all are throwing stones at each other. The present sufferings are a great blessing for people. I thank God for many things: I thank Him for being the King, so I can be a servant. Since He is King, that is the greatest blessing for me and for others. Now you are servants, but if you want to be real kings and queens in the future, apply the Divine teaching. Every morning when you get up say, "God, I thank You that I am alive, so I can serve You today." How do you get up in the morning? Some get up with their face up, others with their back up. Take care of the children, how they get up in the morning. Never get up with your back up. What must be your first thought after rising? Say, "God, bless my soul. I thank Thee for waking me up today to finish my work the way I should, wherever I may be, and to be able to grow as much as it is necessary." This is the first basic teaching. But what do we do? If someone is a teacher, they say, "Oh, today I have to correct 40-50 notebooks!" If they are a judge, they say, "Today I have so many Law-suits!" If they are a preacher, they say, "I must hold a sermon today, but have not prepared anything yet." If one is a mother, she says, "Why are all these children crying now?" In such a case, God is not with them and their work does not go well the whole day. Blow and say, "Hwuu-u-u! God, purify me of all evil thoughts and bless my soul!" Try this. Some say, "God was so merciful that He shed His blood for us and was nailed to the cross." How was Christ nailed? With His head up. That is why when you get up in the morning, you must rise with your head up, not down. And when you go out, show your head to God, not your feet. Go out with your head first and thank God in your soul. If you observe these rules, all Spirits of Light will be around you, you will acquire power, Wisdom and grow. God makes things grow. Now, do you know why I am telling you all this? You must know that God does His work through people. And when I speak to you, you say, "Mr. Dounov says so." What I am saying to you has been said above, the whole heaven says it. I repeat that God is coming to purify the Earth by fire, to take off people's old rags and give them new bodies with love in their hearts, to uplift their minds and take away from them all malice and hatred. This is what the Divine teaching proclaims in the new epoch. When you rise in the morning, make an experiment, say, "I thank you, God, for the great grace You have for us. We know You as all-merciful, all-truthful, all-wise." Repeat this every morning for one month, then come to me and tell me what the temperature of your soul is. This is the whole secret. If you repeat this for ten months, it will be still better. This is the A—the beginning. In the past, when I was at your age and was learning this science, after rising in the morning, I started thus: "I thank You, God, for everything You have given me and taught me." You start the same way. This is a great teaching. If you do not start with it, you will be in eternal darkness, an eternal gloom around you. If you apply it, God, the angels and the saints—all will smile at you and help you to become Children of God. You will be ready to endure 4,000 blows on your back for your brother, so when Christ comes you will say, "Let Him take my place, I shall bear the rest myself." I understand this in a figurative sense and thus I speak. Spread this teaching among the nations! Only this way will every nation be able to ascend. Those who want to try, let them apply this teaching and see its results. It is a positive science. Every nation, every society, every home what works this way will be blessed. These are the good tidings Christ brought for the regeneration of humanity two thousand years ago. Those who have ears to hear, let them hear. Sermon held on January 7, 1917, in Sofia. ______________ 32. II Peter 3:18. 33. William Gladstone (1809-1898), an English politician Chair of the Labor Party. He supported the independence movement in Italy and took a rigorous stand against the 1876 Turkish massacres in the then dominated Bulgarian territories (ed. note). 34. A south-Russian city at the Azov Sea coast (ed. note).
  19. Render to God the things that are God’s And He said to them, “ Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left Him, and went their way. Mathew 22:21, 22. “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Unintentionally, Jesus touched a social issue. Should tribute be paid? This is an issue which has been arousing strong feelings for centuries. It can be discussed both in general and in particular. People’s happiness depends on the proper solution of this issue. This is a very tough, complicated problem with ten unknown quantities. It is easy for students to do math problems with one, two or even three unknown quantities. However, when faced with a problem containing more unknown quantities, they give it up. Life, though, offers people problems with ten and even more unknown quantities. It takes thousands of years to solve these problems. All people are baffled and frightened by the unknown. They asked Jesus, “ Should we yield tribute to Caesar?’ His answer was explicit, “Yes, you should.” Throughout the chapter Jesus came up with great ideas, which need a long time to be explored, just like the botanist and the mineralogist will have to examine a plant or a pebble for years in order to study them inside out. It is not easy to come to the profound meaning of Jesus’ verse. There are many Christians who, while sitting in a chair, start contemplating over some issues. Solutions to problems do not come simply through contemplation. The key is hard work. A woman asks, “Do I have to cook for my husband?” Jesus answers, “Yes, you have.” The husband is your Caesar, so you will cook for him. If you cook him breakfast, he will go to work, and you will stay home alone, so you will have the chance to serve God. The woman says, “I wish I were a man.” – Even if you were a man, you would have to render Caesar’s wife the things that are hers. So, there is a Caesar and a Caesar’ wife. If you are a man, you will give Caesar's wife what is hers and to God the things that are God’s. One and the same thing is required of both men and women. In other words, as a human being, you have your duties both to this world and to God. If you go to a ball, you will have to consider the requirements for a ball. The woman has to dress up in accordance with the latest fashion; she should be wearing a white evening dress, special shoes, and make-up. The man will be in a dinner jacket, nice new shoes, and white gloves. – It is not my cup of tea. – Well, if you don’t like it, then you shouldn’t go. Even if you have to see God, you will have to put on a necklace, a tiara, and a bracelet. The necklace is Love. The tiara is Wisdom. The bracelet is Virtue. I have seen women in Romania wearing watches round their ankles. Then, to see the time the woman raises her foot. Many find this shocking. I say, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” You are here on earth – that is what life here wants from you. There are people who get angry or envious; they cannot get used to Life as it is. If you cannot accept it, go to heaven. Those who grumble that sugar is scarce or the bread ratio is insufficient should go to heaven. What are they doing here? Give Caesar what is his - pay him a tribute. This is what Caesar gives – nothing more. Man’s first task is to solve Life properly. It is the solving of this problem that gives meaning to Life itself. One who cannot realise what Life is is nothing but a pygmy, nobody, an insect. The point is not in putting on airs or strutting like a peacock. It is enough to come close to them, to make them look down on you. Do not take offence – this is how they see it. You should not get hurt either, when I am telling you the truth. I say: While here, you should think hard and work diligently to find the right solutions to problems in Life. When God expelled man from Eden, He appointed an Angel to guard it. – What did the Angel keep? – Man’s reason, i.e. the Divine beginning. Reasonability remained in Eden. The Serpent seduced Eve, who ate from the forbidden fruit. Then she gave Adam too eat from it too. So God expelled them from Eden and said, “As you do not deserve Life, you will leave Eden. One day, when you understand Life, you will come back to me.” People want to be happy. There is no happiness for people who squander their father’s wealth. I do not mean to expose you by saying this. I am just trying to make a principle clear. You needn’t take offence. All of you, who are attending this lecture, are not true human beings yet. I can see people dressed in clothes, having a certain appearance and weight, but this is far from being a true man. I think highly of man. There is something great hidden in you, which you are not aware of. There will come a day when the Divine in man will manifest itself, and then you will know what Life is and what man is. Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” By giving Caesar what belongs to him, you will find freedom. Each bad thought or desire is not yours, they belong to Caesar, so you should yield them to him. – Who is Caesar in man? – The devil. You will say, “I got angry today.” Did you render to Caesar what is his? Well, you should. Don’t just give Caesar what is his. You should also render to God the things that are God’s. What is Caesar’s is human. We owe much to humanity. Therefore, we should render to anybody what we owe to him. This means understanding the point in Life. A hermit lived in the desert for many years. Eventually, he decided to see a saint and ask him about the point in Life. The saint told him, “ Go to the nearest village and spend a whole day among the village people. You might learn something from them.” The hermit went to the village and visited the home of a man who was about to leave for work in the fields. The hermit decided to join him. On the way to the fields the villager said, “O God!” He then spent the day toiling the soil, ploughing and sowing and on coming back home for a rest, he said, “O God!’ The hermit came back to the saint to tell him what he had seen in the village. “What did you learn?” – “Not much. I saw a villager who uttered “God” twice during the whole day.” The saint gave the hermit an icon-lamp and told him to go round the whole village carrying the icon-lamp. He warned him to be careful not to spill a drop of oil. The hermit carried out the task quite well and came back to the saint, who asked him, “How many times did you remember God?” - “Not once.”- “Why?” – “All my attention was focused on not spilling a drop of oil from the icon-lamp.” Then the saint told him, “You see, the villager, who is providing for both his family and us, found the time to remember God at least twice during a day of hard work, while you, the hermit, could not remember God even once!” I would like to ask today’s philosophers and scholars how many times a day they remember God. The reason for people’s misfortunes is that they do not remember God. That is why Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s”. I say that you should think about yourselves, about your arms and feet, your heart and mind, about your progress. However, you should also think about what is lofty and noble, about how to improve life in store for you after death. Today’s life is ours; tomorrow’s life belongs to God. How can you be happy if you do not render to God the things that are God’s? People’s misfortunes come through giving only Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. He only takes; he does not give. God differs in that He both takes and gives. He will take the child from a mother, but in a year or two He will give her another better child. A husband abuses his wife. God will take this husband and give the poor wife another, better than the first one. So, you should not be sorry when God takes something from you. He is just, kind and compassionate. He will give you something better in return of what he has taken from you. In this respect God sets an example of giving. Jesus said that your deeds should be so enlightened that whoever saw you should glorify your Father. – Why hasn’t the world improved yet? – Because your deeds do not glorify God. It is the learned and spiritual people that bear the responsibility. There are many learned people here on earth that are far from knowledgeable when they go to heaven. There are many saints here on earth who are no saints in heaven. There are many noble people one earth who are not noble in heaven. Appearance and reality are two different things. One has to distinguish between what is important and not in order to take the right path. One should be free from ambitions and obsessions. So there are four things necessary for man to go straight: to distinguish between what is important and not, to get free from personal ambitions, to have a decent life, and to cherish Love in his soul. The Angel will not admit man to heaven until he builds up these four requirements. God says, “You know how to serve Caesar, but you do not know how to serve Me. Angry though you may be, I still cannot accept you as My servants.” Which musician will agree to teach your child, who still has not acquired basic skills? He will say, “I don’t have the time to deal with your backward child.” By ignoring ignorance, God let the ignorant grope about in their ignorance. Today, when people are better equipped to understand Him, He sends them His Son among them. What does the modern person do? He gets up in the morning, washes his face, combs his hair, puts on clean clothes and starts some other job. His first job is serving Caesar. Then he asks himself, “Should I serve Caesar?” – Yes, you should serve Caesar, because you are in his kingdom – you need to be just. Someone decides that he should not take care of his body. – Who told you this? If you live in a rented house, you should keep it clean and tidy. – I am a holy person. – No matter whether you are holy or not, you should do the cleaning. If you have come here to earth, even if you were a saint, you would have to do the cleaning. A teacher gives a student a poor mark. The student is displeased with the teacher and threatens to beat him. There are many teachers beaten by their students. My advice to the student is to do his lessons to avoid getting poor marks. My advice to the teacher is to check the student’s progress regularly before giving him a poor mark. The teacher should be sensible in all respects. By living properly, both the teacher and the student lay the foundations for better service. God is gracious and kind. If you serve Him, you will serve in Spirit and Truth. All this requires perfection. It is easy to serve God, but only if you have the deep inner striving to do it. Without that striving it will be difficult for you to serve God. You may say, “I want to see God and learn from Him.” – This is possible only if you are worthy of God. A wife gives her husband a hiding several times a day, and yet she is eager to see God. Well, she can’t. - Why? – Because she hasn’t coped with her husband yet. A husband bullies his wife, but he also wants to see God. His way to God is blocked. The husband and the wife stand for two principles that need to be reconciled. If you are a man, you should pay tribute to Caesar’s wife. If you are a woman, you should pay tribute to Caesar. What happens to the man and the woman on the outside occurs inside people too. Caesar and his wife exist both outside and inside man. Many claim that the world is evil. I don’t believe this. What I tend to believe is that it is people who are bad, so whether the world is good or bad is determined by people. The world is just as bad as people are. When speaking about the world, you should mean your personal world and not the world created by God. If you are indisposed, do not think that the same refers to all people. You have no right to infer from your disposition or indisposition about all people. As for the Caesar in you, you should be kind and gentle to him, ready to give him what rightly belongs to him. You will study his character to treat him properly. – He is a tax collector. – Never mind. You will apologise for being behind with the money and give it to him. You should not swear, nor grumble. You will be calm and quiet. If you are short-tempered here, you will be the same in heaven. People remain the same when in heaven. They will be extremely strict with you there. You can be expelled from there only for knitting your brows, or sulking. You can wear your sulky expression here as much as you want, but this is unacceptable in heaven. An Angel was sent back to earth for a thousand years for frowning just once. Caesar is more lenient in this respect. He fails to see the constant frowning and scowling of man. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” This means: Fulfill your duty to God. If you fail to perform your duty to God, you will be pretty much like the American whose chief priority in life was money, but in his death bed he became aware of his situation and told his sons, “Do not follow my example. I lived only for my wealth and now I cannot count on anybody in the other world. So, you should put in my coffin all kinds of money. I hope it helps me.” When he went to heaven, he soon felt hungry and thirsty and stopped at a refreshment stall where roast chicken, fish and fruit were sold. He asked how much the chicken was – “1 rupche1. Everything here costs 1 rupche.” – “Well, it is so cheap here! I can buy anything!” The rich man took out twenty levs and wanted to buy everything on the stall. – “We do not use such currency here. The coin of exchange here is the rupche.” The rich man called his sons to send him a bag full of rupches. On receiving the rupches, he went to the stall to buy something. – “We do not take such rupches here.” And this time they kicked him out. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” This is the only way man can get rid of suffering. Anyone leaving for heaven unprepared tends to suffer. It is important for everyone to live. – How should one live? – Sensibly. There are people who lose their temper at trifles. Learn from the Sun. When you see it in the morning, it greets you with a smile. On setting in the evening, it turns its back on you. Should you be angry at it? You are often cross at each other without a sound reason. You are often angry that someone has not given you a proper welcome. Once a writer visited a rich man’s home to ask for a loan. The rich man pretended not to be at home and told his servant, “Tell the visitor that I am not in.” Although the writer heard the man say this, he did not get angry. One day the rich man needed a favour from the writer. He went to his house and knocked at the door. The writer opened the front door and said, “I am not in.” – “How’s that? I can see and hear you. Don’t tell me you are not in.” – “How strange! I believed your servant’s words. Why don’t you believe me? I am here, but not for you. So, when in future, you go to God, He will say, “I am not here” – “How’s that? We can see you.” – “ I am here, but not for you.” Now that you know this, you should not be angry with the Sun. It neither rises, nor sets. The sunrise and the sunset are nothing but an illusion created by the rotation of the Earth round its axis. Your earth and my earth rotate in exactly the same way. When coming to me, you should know whether my earth is rotating or not; whether my sun is rising or not. If my sun is setting, you’d better not come. Misunderstandings and sufferings occur as a result of untimely visits. Someone died. He died because his sun set. So sorrow suggests the setting of the sun. The sun sets in some direction – it means that one grows old and dies. The sun rises from another direction – one is born. Old age is to the west and youth is to the east. You will say that this is an allegory. No, this is alchemy. One day, when you get to know this art, you will transform according to your desires: you will get old or young; you will become a man or a woman. The same happens at the theatre: the young man becomes old and the old man becomes young. Such is the law of illusions. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” Is this the way people act? Is this the way Christians act? There are Christians who do not stick to this law, yet they criticise others. It shows that they have not learnt the laws of the world. The world and people of the world are in their right place; they have their great predestination. I have respect for people of the world. Most of them are sincere. If they have something to tell you, they will say it directly and not behind your back. Most people speak behind your back. If you have something unpleasant to tell someone, you’d better say it in a straightforward way yet politely and candidly. People of the world are fond of sincerity and cleanness. They regularly have a bath, change their clothes, use scents – they love the fragrance of flowers. Religious people avoid doing this as they find it improper. If they do not use scent, they’d better have a bath more often so that they will not stink. We have to change radically. This is what Jesus teaches us in His parables. “On hearing that those invited to the wedding refused to come, the king sent an army to destroy the killers and burn their town to ashes.”(-7) This is what I say: Forget about yourselves and think carefully. You will say that I am telling you off. I am not scolding anybody, as this is not my mission. I am not adept at this. Scolding is a dangerous job. It is quite similar to performing surgery, requiring Faith and Courage. What I am speaking about is calculus. It deals with the numbers from 1 to 10. When you grasp the inner sense of these numbers you will be able to determine your attitude to God and your fellow creatures. The biggest number is the unit. When you understand the unit, you will be able to comprehend all the remaining numbers and ratios. All the other numbers come as a result of the division of the unit into smaller numbers. So, the unit is the tree and the remaining numbers are the branches, the twigs, the leaves, the buds and the blossom of a tree. Not being aware of his worth, man grumbles and loses temper. He does not have the slightest notion of being just a twig, a leaf, or a bud from the tree. No matter how loud his cries are, they cannot be heard. If you are a leaf you should try to get as much sap of life as possible. If you are a small root, you should try to give the tree more nourishment. – I want to know what people think of me. – Being part of the tree means that you serve God. It does not matter whether you are beautiful or not. What counts is what you do as being part of the tree. Do not look down on the fallen leaves; do not judge them. Falling down is not their fault. There is some force that has prematurely torn them off the tree. Nevertheless, they will pay tribute to Caesar. Later they will appear on the tree again, able to render to God the things that are His. This is how you should think. Then you will suffer again, only that your awareness of suffering will be raised. There are two types of sufferings – conscious, when one is aware of the reasons, and unconscious, when one grumbles and complains, exaggerating them. Therefore a clever, religious and cultivated man is one who can cope with sufferings and use them reasonably. My understanding of culture is extensive application of religion. A truly religious person is one who does not live only with the mind and heart, but with the soul, too. Culture suggests thinning out of religion, while religion suggests thickening of culture. When saying that one has to be cultured, I mean that one should thin out by learning about all existent relationships among people and studying the structure of the state along with its regulations and institutions. This is Caesar’s culture. When one gets to the in-depth relations to God and Nature, discerning the insignificant from the significant, then he will be able to understand Christ properly and recognise Him. Jesus taught people to be interested in culture – how to show and apply it. Caesar stands for culture and Jesus represents religion. I say, “ Render to culture the things that rightly belong to it, and to religion the things that you owe it.” Religion is worthless without culture. One should start from the visible, moving step by step towards the invisible. The personality you can reveal as a cultured man will be just the same as the one you will have as a religious person. If you are short-tempered and fond of lying in your cultured life, you will be such in your religious life. Fondness for lying means concealing the Truth. You should be pure and sincere. Such a person can face God at any time. How will you look at a person who is infectious? You give him a friendly welcome, while he is bringing in your home the germs of some contagious disease. You will be utterly displeased with such a man. You should bear in mind that any visit you pay is an appearance in front of God. You should face God clean and pure. There are religious people who are cursed to bear malediction to the world – the most appalling bacillus. All that can be unintentional, yet they have to be wary of danger and clean themselves. Therefore, if you are not in the right frame of mind or angry, do not pay a visit to a friend. You should visit a friend only when God is with you. This is what Jesus taught people. What is Jesus’ teaching? It is a Divine book, from which anybody could read. I am looking through it every day. Some people say that they have spoken to God. It is possible but only if one has reached a high step on the ladder and purified himself. You will say that you are a learned person and you have access to God. You may be knowledgeable about your surroundings, but certainly not about Christ. Your knowledge does not open the path to Christ. One needs humility. Learned as you are, can you tell me how long you will live, how many children you will have and what they will be like? – I do not know how long I will live, nor how many children I will have. – You do not know about things that refer to you. How can you speak then about things that are far from you? You have to study. There is a teaching about the heart and a teaching about the mind. The heart belongs to Caesar, and the mind is God’s. Some times it is vice versa – the mind is Caesar’s and the heart belongs to God. Therefore, you should devote your mind to what belongs to it, and commit your heart to what is pertaining of it. Do not stop the springs. Do not stop the flow of rivers. Correct and clean their beds so that they can flow freely. Do not dry up your rivers. Do not cut down the forests. A lot has to be said to modern people so that they can understand matters according to their stage of development. Consciousness can be revealed in three aspects: mechanical, physiological and psychological. In mechanical consciousness processes run from the inside to the outside. These processes occur in Nature. Many rivers flow into one big muddy river. Processes in the mechanical consciousness are not Divine. The processes in the physiological and psychological consciousness run from the outside to the inside. You needn’t drop the bucket into the well to pull out water. The water flows naturally by itself. Thanks to this outward flow, the mud goes out and the spring gets pure. This is the spring on which Jesus works. It is this spring that He wants you to have. But as soon as you see Jesus’ desire, you block the spring in defiance to Him. In the end, you have to settle for the small rivers flowing into one big river, saying, “I am big enough.” – Yes, you are big but meddled. You’d better be a small and pure spring rather than a big and muddy river. This is the path leading to God’s Kingdom. You should make a free choice. It is up to you to decide whether to opt for the small and pure spring or for the big and muddy river. Your welfare depends on your decision. This is what rendering to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s means. Lecture given by the Master on 31st December, 1916, Sofia 1 An old copper coin, five stotinki Source
  20. They Shall Be Taught “And they shall all be taught by God. Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.” John 6:45 “They shall all be taught by God.” The implication is simple. To throw light on the essence of God a lengthy, detailed explanation is necessary, as well as profound analysis of the verse. The concept of God is abstract, accessible only to philosophers and learned people. This matter is not known to modern people. You will argue that you are bearers of culture. You are representatives of Aryan culture, the culture of Good and evil. People coming from this culture are not capable of comprehending this verse. If you tell a contemporary that he will be taught by God, he will be baffled, unable to understand how and from where God will come to teach him. What is God? He is the Prime Cause of things. The word cause is prichina in Bulgarian. It contains two parts: pri and china. “China” 1means do in Bulgarian. So God is the one Who does the first things. You, just as all people, are the first creation of God, only not in the same appearance you have now. I mean that your souls are God’s first deed. Your souls are hidden in the outer shell – the body. “They shall be taught.” To be taught one needs an impetus, inner motivation and aspiration after what he is going to learn. A motivated disciple will easily find his master. A lad, cherishing Love in his soul, will easily find his beloved. Therefore, if you have to find God, Who will teach you, He should first talk to your heart, mind, and soul. Then you will find me. What do I mean by “Me”? – the Son. You will say, “I want to be the Father’s Son.” This is the greatest thing. One who cannot serve reasonably to God cannot call himself a Father’s Son. Service is not just to one. You should first serve your soul, your people, your nation, and finally, humanity as a whole. These are duties one has to learn and carry out. This is a great teaching. If you want to become a musician, a good violin player, you need long practice of learning how to position the violin and the bow. You need a lot of practice before you start playing better. When learning to play the piano, you also have to learn how to position the fingers. This is not an easy matter. You might say that it is easy and you can manage, but it is easy to speak of things you have not tried. It is everybody’s task to ask himself whether he is Father’s Son or not. In other words, you should ask yourselves whether you have served God or not. If the answer is positive, the solution to all problems comes easily. It means that you have already learned how to position the bow, and now the next lesson is to learn how to pull the strings. You will say that it is even easier. What is a bow? – To the married woman the bow is her husband. If she has learnt her lesson, if she knows how to hold the bow, then she can get along well with her husband and run the home efficiently. If she starts chasing flies and beating the children with the bow, she is not capable of running the house. Just as the music teacher gives elementary lessons to his students, so God begins step by step with those who want to learn something from Him. He will teach them how to position the bow, then how to position the violin, and finally, he will start with elementary practice. He will say, “Take your violin! Stand still! Start now!” By starting with easy exercises, you pass onto more difficult ones, until finally, you master all positions. This is what being taught by God means. You have come to earth, which is a great school. Those who learn to play will become great artists. Those who do not learn will remain behind the stage. Such is the great law. – Why has man come to earth? - To learn the law of Mercy and Compassion. “They shall be taught by God.” I will explain this verse through the legend about the creation of the world. God made the Heaven and the earth, the plants and animals and decided to have a rest. Shortly, it occurred to Him to create man in order to serve Him as a connection between the Heaven and the earth. Learning about His decision, the Angels came one by one to advise Him what exactly His creation should be like. First came the Angel of Truth and said, “Lord, do not make this creature. It will conquer the world.” Next came the Angel of Justice and said, “Lord, do not make this creature. It will be cruel and merciless. It will think only of itself. It will never sympathise with those who suffer.” Then came the Angel of Peace and said, “Lord, do not make this creature! It will sink the world in blood. Appalling bloodshed will occur as a result of its appearance.” So God gave up His idea to create man. Eventually, the youngest daughter of Mercy came to God and said, “Lord, do as you have decided. Make that creature. Even if all the others turn away from him, I’ll show it how to love and care.” On hearing these words, God cheered up and said, “I will make this creature in My own image.” So, man was created thanks to the Love of Mercy’s youngest daughter. Even today, anyone who knows this daughter is able to keep the image of Who made him. Those who do not know the daughter are doomed to perish. The youngest daughter of Mercy is Christ. You will say, “How can Christ stand for the daughter of Mercy?” Can He be compared to a girl? Christ bears the two beginnings – the male and the female one. By man we mean a reasonable creature that bears one of the greatest God’s attributes – Mercy. It is said, “They will all be taught by God.” What will they be taught? – Mercy. This is a great teaching. It means to have learnt how to move the bow and play beautifully. There will come a day when you will grow from a disciple to a Master, teaching the others. So, you should study Jesus’ teaching as a teaching about the human soul. This is the only way one can know his attitude to God and find where he belongs. Someone will be willing to study astronomy. He should ask himself how astronomy relates to his soul. It tells us about the eternal conditions under which the soul can live in infinite space. Only one capable of mastering the bow can live in infinite space. – You want to adopt the Holy Spirit. - How can this be achieved? – By letting Mercy enter your life. If you fail to do that, the Angels of Truth, Justice and Peace will come to God and say that they were right when advising Him not to create man. When one of these Angels sees that man errs, he says, “I knew it.” Mercy and Good need to work on man hard and continuously in order to restore his initial image. Good in man exists in a ratio of 1: 3. 1 stands for Good, while 3 stands for the three adversaries opposing it. They are delusion, selfishness and bloodthirstiness. You will say that you have never shed blood. There is not a single person who has not shed blood. The last century was a century of bloodshed. However, Mercy, working for elevating humanity, is close. Another culture is to come to this world – the culture of Mercy, which will determine the relationship of man to God. This is the first relationship, the primary art. If this art is mastered, the others will come naturally; all secrets will be revealed easily. The bow stands for human will. If the will is not cultivated, one cannot express his thoughts and feelings correctly. When the will is not built up, life is disorganised and disharmonious. There is order and harmony in one’s life only if will is cultivated. The thoughts and feelings are the tones, which the player conveys through his violin. – Which violin player is admired by the audience? - The one that plays harmoniously. – Why is it so that some men and women cannot stand each other? – Because their violins are not set. – What has to be done so that they can get on well together? – They have to turn to Mercy. It hides the skill of bringing reconciliation to people. You will say, “I want to learn how man was created.” – I cannot tell you about it. I can show you how to hold your violin, how to use the bow, but you will have to practise by yourselves. The bow and the violin need to be of good quality, and your task is to try to accomplish your job. Each man is given a bow and a violin. Each has to ask himself, “Do I use the bow properly? Do I position the violin as I should?” Each of you will find the answer, and if you are not pleased, you will have to correct yourselves. You will position the violin horizontally, i.e. in a passive position of acceptance. – What is it you are going to accept? – The Divine tones. If you tilt the violin, you are in one of the active processes. The tones, produced by your hands are the light rays, which are in constant growth. “They shall be taught by God.” Once you get the aspiration, knowledge will come naturally. If the aspiration is directed upwards, one starts learning from God. Such a person is thought of as musical. The stronger the aspiration, the greater the cooperation. All good people assist such a person. There is not a person in this world that does not respond to the Divine. It manifests itself in the form of Mercy. Where Mercy exists, the soil is prepared. The desert is said to be barren. It is a childless woman. Those who have no children are believed to be cruel. If you are aware of this, you should be wary of cruelty, hindering human development. When Nabuccodonosor conquered Jerusalem, he decided to visit the Jewish temple. When he entered it, he saw that blood was spurting near it. Utterly amazed at what he saw, he called the priests to ask them where the blood was coming from. They answered him that the blood was coming from the victims the Jews sacrificed to God. So, it was animals’ blood. Nabuccodonosor took a goblet full of blood and compared it with the animals’ blood. It turned out that the blood round the altar was not from animals. He insisted on being told the truth. What did it turn out? He found out that years ago, in this region, there lived a pious priest, Zachariah, who often spoke to people that they did not live a decent life. They soon hated him and killed him in order to get rid of him. Angry at hearing this, Nabuccodonosor ordered his people to kill all the priests and put their bodies in the bubbling blood. However, the blood did not stop coming out. Then he ordered his men to kill many children and throw them in the blood spring. The blood did not stop pouring out, either. Nabucodonosor could not understand what kind of blood it should be that would not stop bubbling. In the end he ordered the murder of young boys and girls. The blood did not stop though. “How strange”, he thought, “this is the blood of just one person killed, but his blood cannot be satiated. How will then the blood of the thousands I killed be satiated?” He repented and started crying. A few tears fell on the spot from where the blood was coming out. To his great surprise, the blood stopped bubbling. Just a tear was enough to satiate the blood of the murdered Zachariah. You will ask, “Why does man cry?” What is the purpose of tears? A tear shed from the eye can save one from the crime he has committed. This is the tear of Mercy. Everyone who has learned from Father comes to Me. True culture and true Knowledge start from here. By culture, in broad sense, we understand the knowledge and art encompassing Life as a whole. It includes the manifestations of the mind, the heart, the soul, and the Spirit. Every creature has its place and purpose in this culture. Each creature is given the necessary conditions for its growth. The first reasonable creature that came into existence with this culture was the human being, i.e. man. By man we understand a reasonable creature, able to think. This was a culture in which only men lived. Women did not exist then. – How can life be possible without women? – I am not going into detail here, but I say that this culture can be considered to have been one of the most significant cultures in this world. It is a culture free from sufferings. Man was related to God. God was his mate. In this friendship man acquired much knowledge but became lazy. You will say that old people are lazy. What counts is that it was laziness that made man seek for a companion to help him. He asked God to give him a mate. His desire was satisfied. God sent him one – the woman. The woman came but soon was fed up with Adam. She found him too old and sought a younger companion. She found one in the snake – the black adept. From here the second culture began – the one knowing of Good and evil. The present culture belongs to women. Men do not have the say. A new culture is coming. It will join the two principles of thought and Life. This is the culture of Mercy, or the culture of Love. The first culture was of Wisdom, the second - of Justice, and the third - of Love. This culture will join man and the woman in one. You will say that the merge suggests losing one’s identity. No, it is not so. To merge means to expand, to find harmony and more strength. The Bulgarians keep the motto: “Union is strength.” One word is missing in this motto: “Union in Love makes strength.” You should all aspire after this union – men with women, women with men – union in the name of great God’s Love. You will say that it is one and the same union. No, there are two unions formed – one is with man in the first place and the woman in the second, according to the order of their descent to earth. The other is with the woman in the first place and man in the second. The two unions come together in one place and give Life. Nowadays all people, both men and women, want to live well. Women think of how best to dress up and put on jewellery – diamond necklaces and tiaras like crowns on their heads. That is all good, only that these necklaces and tiaras cannot be kept long – men will pawn them. How many men have ruined their wives! When a young man decides to get married, he is in search of a rich girl. When he marries her, he soon squanders her wealth and leaves her penniless. An American inherited a lot of money from his father, who spent all his life herding cattle. His inheritance amounted to 3 million levs. On seeing so much money, he indulged in eating and drinking and within six months he dissipated the wealth. When this happened, he had nothing to do but follow his father’s career – a herdsman. He tilted his cap, picked up the crook and took to herding. It means that he took up studying Life. Many of today’s women prefer men who possess a lot of money and indulge in eating and drinking. But they soon lose everything and become herdsmen. Being a shepherd means to keep your feelings and thoughts to yourself. Just as the shepherd guards his sheep from the wolves, so each man has to keep his thoughts and feelings pure. The wolves in man are the bad thoughts and feelings, which he sometimes has to keep off. He should keep them at a distance so that they cannot spoil his mood. His pen has to be very stable. God will teach Modern people how to live. He is teaching them now. – How? – Through His thoughts. A noble thought enters your mind, but you are too shy to fulfill it. You say, “A trifle, childish thought has come to my mind.” – It is not childish, it is a Divine thought. – It is for young people. – Let your thought come true and do not be so shy. Divine manifestations refer to young people. The Scripture says that if you seek Wisdom, you will find it in old people. If you seek Strength, you will find it in young people. Man is old; the woman is young. They have to unite in order to create harmony in Life. Man is the first violin in the orchestra, and the woman is the second. Man and the woman are the two principles, complementing each other. However, a human being can be a man and a woman at the same time, a woman and a man. The woman says, “Why am I not a man?” She does not know that a person bears the two principles. Therefore, man is prone to errors. – Why does one err? – Because of the free will. If one does not know how to use the bow, he will play out of tune. While listening to such a person, you will say, “Here is one who does not know how to play, and yet he wants to teach us.” Many of you ask, “How can we understand what the present culture is?” Go to the country to see how the peasants treat the cattle working for them. Go to the bakeries to see how bread is sold. Visit the families to hear their shouts and cries. This is the culture of bitterness and fierceness. Whoever you meet, you will see hollow eyes and a pale face, as he is demagnetised. What culture is this? Today Mercy teaches people how to apply Mercy and Strength. This is what Jesus’ teaching boils down to. This is what Christ does on descending to earth to teach people. Some expect Christ to descend to earth accompanied by a host of Angels. What is an Angel? Man has a physical body, a body of desires, and a mental body. The Angel, though, is deprived of a body of desire, as a result of which an Angel cannot err. Therefore, Christ is accompanied by Angels and saints, i.e. people without a body of desires. If you want to become an Angel or a saint, you have to give up you body of desires. It is preached in churches that Christ is coming to punish people. It is not the case. Christ will come to put everything in this world in order. This is the only way for the world to get instantly straight. What does instantly mean? - At the blink of an eye. When does one blink? - When shutting and opening one’s eyes quickly. So does the cat when it wants to show the mouse that it no longer has a body of desires, so the mouse should not be afraid of it. The mouse is misled to believe the cat and keeps entering and leaving the hole until it falls prey to the cat. People who pray do just the same. They shut their eyes pretending not to see anything and say, “O Lord, we do not have a body of desires. Give us what we need.” When they receive an answer to their prayers, they open their eyes and forget about everything. Man should get rid of the unnecessary desires and the constant complaints about not having this or that. Only then can God teach him what he needs. Man should get rid of the body of desires. If two lads happen to be in love with one the same girl, how will they solve the problem? Today the usual solution is murder. Would it not be better if one of them gave up the girl to the other and loved her at a distance? There are cases when a wife does not love her husband and falls in love with another man. Or just the opposite, a husband does not love his wife and falls in life with another woman. The one who considers himself abandoned finds this wrong. Well, it would be far better if both spouses loved each other, but Love does not obey human laws. It would be good if the wife loved her husband, but how could it be possible if he beat her every day? A prominent English reformist, John Wesley, got married. Since he communicated with many people, both man and women, his wife was really displeased with him and started beating him. On the third day of his marriage he told his friends, “It’s no use getting married.” Such are the relationships of the people of today’s culture. This comes as result of the desires of the physical body of man. When the child is small, he or she is placid and meek, without any desires. As soon as the child starts developing the body of desires he or she becomes recalcitrant and self-willed. This is especially noticeable at the age of 7 to 14. From then on children begin maturing. When they grow up they work more with the mind, become sensible and between the age of 28 and 30 they are already conscious – they are already in search of God and Jesus. Now I am offering you the new Teaching, which will lead you to Jesus. I have been observing people’s Life and what I see is disharmony reigning everywhere – at schools, in societies, at home. This gives me anguish. Nowadays people are constantly having rows – husbands and wives, students and teachers, vicars and parishioners. This makes all these people martyrs. – Why are they martyrs? - Because they have given priority to the body of desires over God. Nobody listens to God now. All people want to be happy, educated, clever and rich. If you distribute all the existing wealth, only a sum of 40 levs will go to each living person. Can you be happy and content with 40 lv.? You will say that what you need is at least 40,000 lv. per month. Where can all that money come from? You will have to take it from someone in order to make yourselves happy. That cannot be a solution to the problem. The key to the problem is hard work. If you work hard, you can have anything; if you do not, you get nothing. This law is true only in this physical world; it is not applicable to other worlds. Try this: Instill in your minds the idea that you should work only with Love for God. You will see that you will accumulate considerable wealth within a few years. If this attempt fails, come to me and I will pay all your debts back. I am ready to do anything to prove the validity of this law. If each nation were determined to serve God, there would not be any wars. By not serving God, today’s people destroy everything they have created. There will come a day when they will become aware of their fallacies. Now they have nothing to regret. They act in accordance with the law of necessity. What is important is to avoid such destruction in future. I would like the Bulgarians to be the first to set an example. Let the priests commit themselves to serving God with Love. If they want, they can approach me. I shall pass this Teaching onto them so that they can preach it. I am ready to go somewhere else, relinquishing to them all my rights and privileges. I find it important that the Bulgarian people be spiritually enlightened and able to take its due place among the other nations. If all adopt this Teaching, their ways will go straight; their schools and families will be improved. Then it will be a real pleasure to cross the country, which will be like a paradise. You will be walking across the country happy and content that you are in service to God. Wherever you pass the trees and flowers will blossom smiling at you, the fruit will readily and gladly welcome you. Boys and girls will be greeting you with Mirth and Joy. The air will be alive with songs and plays. I have nothing against playing. Everybody will be dressed up and groomed. I am not against decoration. You can wear jewellery, necklaces and tiaras; you can wear crowns, but everything has to be done with Love. This is what being taught by God is. Religious people today expect Jesus’ Second Advent on earth. This is impossible. He has already tried people’s love. A Russian governor said once that if Jesus ever happened to come again, he would arrest Him. Jesus knows this. If He enters a church, the priests will chase Him away, saying that any prophet or preacher who comes after Christ, will be Antichrist or a false prophet. You will say that Jesus might come as a king. Well, are the kings so few that Christ should come as a king? If He came as a king, He would raise turmoil among the nations. Jesus’ kingdom is not one of this world. The kings now take their proper places. If they, along with their subjects, followed God’s will, people would be happy. This is what the verse “They shall all be taught by God” means. “They shall be taught by God.” This is the basic principle in Life. – How will they be taught? – By serving God. Mercy has a bearing on service. You should set your hearts on serving God. This is the new Teaching anybody can apply. Before you take to serving, you should reconcile the man or woman in you. You will tell them, “You will either get reconciled to serve together, or you will leave my house. Just as the wife issues an ultimatum to her husband to give up having affairs or she will leave him, so you will embrace the new Teaching and serve God with Love. The female in man should obey the husband, but the male in the woman should obey the wife. Such is the Divine teaching. The left half of any human being is female and the right one is male. The left half is smaller than the right one, i.e. the male part. These two principles can be seen in the human hands, face and eyes. The left hand and the left side of the face are female, while the right hand and the right side of the face are male. That is why the left part of the face is more delicate than the right one. The light coming from the right eye is harsher than that of the left one. The lower lip is female and the upper one is male. The lower part of the nose is female and the upper part is male. A long nose is male and a short one is female. If there is something rough in the male or female part of the human body, it is a result of former cultures. The first culture formed the length of the nose, and the second culture – its length. This is how the cross was created. “You will be taught by God.” Those of you who are already taught by God should observe yourselves in order to note which part of you – the male or the female one is indisposed. If you get angry, you should know that the woman in you is to blame, because anger as a vice is pertaining of women. If you are proud, it is the man in you who is at fault, because pride is typical of men. If an anger-prone woman and a proud man gather, they can set a house on fire. We do not need such people. This cannot be judged, nor explained. By man and woman I mean services to humanity. When you enter the third culture, i.e. the culture of Love, then you will understand what man is and what a woman is. Then you will become aware of their origin. Now I would like to discuss Mercy. Although this word is of neuter gender, it actually represents a woman. Mercy is the noblest feature of man living on earth. I am speaking of the Mercy of today’s society, of modern Christians, the Mercy of you, who are listening to me now. I am speaking to those who have been seeking Christ for two thousand years. I am teaching you, because you all want to be happy. I want you to be happy, too, to be taught by God. You want to be strong, and I want the same for you. You cannot work unless you are strong. The Mercy I am talking about is not an abstract notion, nor is it dead. It is real and alive. It descends to earth every day. It is the first ray that awakens you in the morning. It is Mercy that first gives you the idea to work. If you do not take its advice, you will make a mistake. It whispers to you what to do, but you put it off. Mercy tells you, “There is no time to put things off.” If you put things off, you will miss the opportunity. New opportunities for work lie ahead. If you do not sow, you will have nothing to reap. “They shall be taught.” - By whom? – By God, by the Prime Principle, which is within you, teaching you. Then comes Jesus, the second principle, Which determines your relationships. Finally, it is I who teaches you. I suppose you think that I have come to proclaim some denomination. No, I have come to teach you how to work. Where are you going to work? In church, at school, at home, in society. Once you have learnt how to work, anything you achieve will be yours. When the master learns how to thank his servant for the work accomplished, then he can call himself a Father’s Son. Being a Father’s Son is not an exclusive privilege. You can all be Father’s Sons. If you do a small favour, you should not expect any reward. May you show Love and rise from the dead. I will write out from the book of Life all men and women, all teachers and judges, all priests and preachers with old-fashioned, conservative views. God bless the good preachers, the good mothers and fathers, the good daughters and sons, the good teachers who are eager to accept the new views. They will be taught by God. God bless you! Lecture given by the master on 24th December, 1916, Sofia 1 I in china is pronounced , not [ai] Source
  21. Ани

    1916_12_17 Save Us

    Save Us And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, and “Lord, save us We are perishing!” Mathew, 8: 24, 25 Now, you will ask yourselves what it was, after all, that the boat contained. Then, the Sea of Galilee is not that big – it is just an ordinary lake, though when Christ lived, it was one of the biggest ones. I would like you to focus on three elements in this verse, namely, the boat, the disciples, and Jesus. The boat is the human body, the disciples stand for the Astral world, and Jesus represents the highest principle in people, while the lake symbolises Life, it is the world. This is an analogy from which we want to infer a law, applicable in Life. In my opinion, anything that is not applicable to Life is a hypothesis, a conjecture. Anyone capable of comprehending this teaching will be able to apply it in Life. If you apply it at a time when the sea is stormy and you say, “It is over! We are perishing!” then you will have to wake up your Master, i.e. the highest principle, sleeping within you. When you chatter idly, your Master is asleep; when you are angry, your Master is asleep; when you are bored, your master is asleep. When your burden is so heavy that you cannot bear it, you awaken the highest principle, saying, “Get rid of that load.” Now, can you tell me in which part of Palestine all this happened? – In the Northeastern part, in Galilee. Palestine is divided into Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. Jerusalem stands for the inferior principle in man; that is why, Christ was crucified there. Everybody bows before Jerusalem, especially when having chicken and wine on the kitchen-table. It is exactly in this Jerusalem where Christ was crucified. There are pilgrims who look upon it as a major honour to go to Jerusalem. It is the greatest pleasure in this world to be invited to lunch or dinner to high laces. Yes, but in this Jerusalem Christ will be crucified. Samaria stands for the psychological beginning, while Galilee symbolises the highest principle. In the semantics of the Scripture lakes and rivers stand for Life as they both move; therefore, there is an analogy. The lake is said to have been rough. It is quite acceptable that the lake is stormy, because it needs renewal, i.e. winds are most welcome, otherwise the waters will remain still. It is movement that brings Life. By the same token, human life also needs movement. It is not bad when your brain, stomach, or breasts surge, because it means renewal, proven by facts. Nowadays diseases come as a blessing. If people did not fall ill, they would fall to pieces and decay. Therefore, the storm has to occur in order to awaken Him, Who is sleeping in the boat. You all enjoy pleasures and are eager to have everything ready, without much effort. You want to have fifty maids and servants, all the money in this world and everything done without you lifting a finger. When I say you, I mean humanity. So, there will be turmoil and misunderstandings in real life. They exist in the state, in church, at home, at school, in trade – practically everywhere. I would like to see a person whose sea is not tempestuous, but if such a person existed, he would be a saint, and not one from this world. That is why, if someone said that he does not get excited, he would be lying. Every human being living in this world gets excited. No matter how elevated one is, he will always get excited, as such is Life. Some tend to believe that when they go to heaven, they will find peace. There will be agitation there, too, only it will be of a different kind. When you experience something pleasant, this is an excitement. When you experience grief, this is also an excitement, though unpleasant. So excitement can be pleasant and unpleasant. If you are clairvoyants observing light, you will see that it is a movement of waves. There would not be any light without the movement of these waves. Your brain responds to the ethereal waves, so without agitation, thinking would be impossible. When the energy coming from the Sun reaches your eyes, it diffracts, so you can perceive the light reaching your optic nerve. Light is an act from the psychological world. Movements are physical, but the concept of light is spiritual – it is an act of the Spirit. Therefore, we can see through the Spirit. Now, tell me why Christ was sleeping in the boat. Sleeping is a law. One has to sleep to relax. Tired by His daily work, Jesus got in the boat and fell asleep. However, the winds did not let Him sleep and told Him, “Wake up! You must help these people!” Generally, a storm occurs when one is asleep, i.e. when disasters occur, God is asleep. Jesus is sleeping in the boat, but the storm and the cries of the people will wake Him up. When He wakes up, wars will cease. When Christ raises His hands, the storm will subside, seas will calm down, and the boat will come safe ashore. I will give an example to clarify my thought. On conquering Jerusalem, the Roman military leader Titus entered the temple, looted all its wealth, removed the golden shroud from the ark, took out the parchment with the ten Commandments, and said, “Where is the Jewish god? Let him show his power now!” Loading all the riches on the ships, Titus set sail for Rome. Initially, the weather was fair, but half the way to Rome a severe squall broke out and the weltering sea began tossing the ships. Gritting his teeth, Titus said, “The Jewish god is mighty only at sea so the pharaoh’s servants perished there. I would like this god try his strength against me on land!” The storm abated, the weather changed for the better and Titus noticed the sky clear up. Then a voice was heard saying, “You mean worm, now you will know me!” Titus landed, and quite excited at the narrow escape, asked, “Where is the Jewish god now?” He led his army to Rome, but at some distance from the coast a mosquito entered his nose, wormed its way to the brain and started bothering him. This went on for seven years and though he saw many doctors, nobody could help him. Once, when passing by a smithy, he heard the smiths hammering so heavily on the anvils that the mosquito got startled and stopped bothering him. Titus called the smiths to work at his court, but soon the mosquito got used to the sound of their hammers and began torturing him again. What does this story mean? You may have your inner conflicts, you can loot the shroud, and you can try convincing yourselves that there is no God, but this mosquito will inevitably come sooner or later. While this war is going on, the mosquito will come to both teachers and preachers, no one being able to find a remedy. This mosquito will come to anyone who has violated God’s laws. Some listening to this lecture might say that all this is old wives’ tales, but believe me, you will all experience this. According to the scripture God cannot be desecrated. Jesus will not be crucified a second time. He was crucified once for people’s sake, and from then on it will be you who will be crucified without being helped if you have Titus’ temper and attitude. You have to wake up Jesus sleeping inside you. This is the only way for you to grasp the inner sense of your lives. Each of you has a Jesus inside, which is typical of every individual. But I would like to ask you what Christ is for you. This reminds me of those mothers boasting about their children. One mother will say, “Look at the beautiful eyes of my child! Isn’t my kid lovely!” – “No, mine is lovelier!” another will say. It is not the child’s appearance that matters. What counts is the mind, the wit, and the heart the child has. If you manage to wake up the Christ living in you, He will be able to calm your sea down. He is the God you are seeking. If the sea abates, you are on the right way, holding onto your God. A god that cannot establish peace in your soul cannot be a true god. He can be wearing a mantle and a gold crown, but he is just an idol. From time immemorial man has suffered from his idols. Be aware of them, as they bring on misfortune. So, you will know Christ, because He will bring peace to your heart and mind and will make you important in heaven. You want to be important here, on earth, but this is ridiculous. How important can a root be? The aspiration of a root is to shoot deep downward; therefore, the more important you are, the deeper you go. In other words, the more important you are on earth, the farther you are from God. There are four types of people: good people who do not do any good, bad people who do not do evil, good people who do good, and bad people who do evil. The last two types are constant and the first two are transitional. Which category would you prefer? Which are better than the first two types? These types have to be crossbred and mixed so that they can produce a good result. A woman will say, “I am a good person, but I can’t do good." Arrange it for her to marry a bad man and she will turn into a saint. If you let a bad woman who cannot do evil marry a good man, she will be elevated. This is how these two principles work. The first two types are weak-willed people, while the other two types are people of strong will. Jesus’ disciples are like those who are basically good but incapable of doing good, because they were impotent. “Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him.” Each rest is followed by active life. Since the storm gives rise to the conditions necessary for life to exist, it was crucial for the storm to break out, so that Jesus could appear. Such is the law: Jesus cannot appear without a storm. Some might say, “You are after God, but there is a chain of misfortunes befalling you!” This is the privilege. A farmer, growing a vine, will often check its progress, and prune it, while the vine will cry. Some will say, “I’ve cried my eyes out”. I feel sorry for people who have never cried – it means that they have not been pruned. If God prunes you, it means that He is awake and is going to help you. You will tell him, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” How will you greet God when he wakes up? You can greet Him just like the woman whose husband comes back home bringing something and she tells him off for having forgotten a certain item. When your God wakes up, you will start complaining about something that slipped His mind. He will say, “I should have slept longer, because these people want to sleep in their graves.” From the verse cited above the last line is more interesting: “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” By perishing I understand the assimilation of the superior principle by the inferior one. When reasoning falls victim to your stomach, the inferior principle manifests itself. People nowadays are quite happy when they become obese, which, in fact, is the greatest misfortune. Then they turn into a fat pig that is going to be eaten by its master. When you become fat, you will be eaten by the Devil. You will be a mere turkey, while the devils will get together and say, “We have been feeding this person for years, but his meat is worth the effort.” This is death; that is why, you have to wake up Jesus. The disciples awoke Christ to avoid being eaten. This is true both metaphorically and literally. To all who understand religion, it means that an inferior principle can engulf a superior one, which means descending. If you want, you can call this “eating the pig”, but anyway, an inferior principle eats up a superior one. When a man eats up a pig or a hen, it is the superior principle that eats them, but at the same time man lowers himself. When I say that one should abstain from eating meat, it means that the forces of inferior life oppose our life. That is why vegetarian food is better. If one wants to be physically strong, he has to eat meat. If one wants to be spiritually strong, he has to eat fruit and vegetables. If one does not eat meat, it means that Jesus is awake inside him. Under meat I understand all inferior thoughts and desires, comparing them to hens, turkeys, etc. Someone will say that he does not like pork, but prefers poultry, lamb, etc. It makes no difference. You have never asked this lamb whether it wants to be eaten. How many times you have eaten the human lamb! The husband comes back home merry and cheerful, carrying a lamb, but his wife meets him brandishing a knife, spoils his good mood, and so, he loses his lamb. Do you remember how many times you have slaughtered lambs? Someone will say that he has never slaughtered a lamb. You are all lying. God says that whoever gets angry with his brother without a sound reason slaughters a lamb. God will look for these lambs. What I want you to learn from today’s lecture is not to slaughter lambs – this is what I think. When the husband or the wife carries that Lamb, you should greet him or her and give the lamb some feed or water. The Lamb is Jesus, bearing Joy. When Jesus awakes, the five principles are awakened, too – to keep to Truth, to stick to Justice, to learn Wisdom, to make friends with Virtue, and to enjoy Love. Some say that they stick to Justice, but they do not enjoy Love. You should by all means do the five things, as this is the highest principle. Some day, if we are still alive, as long as you do not slaughter me as a lamb, I will talk to you about Virtue, Love, and Justice. The love you have is made of potatoes, and I have heaps of books on it. The Love I am speaking about sustains the whole world and heaven – God and all the Angels live in it. It is immutable and is never in two minds. A man cherishing such Love can see deep. While you are like shallow marshes. I can see that the love some have is 15 to 20 cm deep. Actually, it needs to be 10 or 20 km in depth – or at least as deep as the oceans. Disasters are impossible to occur where there is depth. If our lives are as deep as that, no storm is capable of stirring their water. The Sea of Galilee was shallow, which made it possible for the storm to occur, but such phenomena are impossible in deep places. A person who worries much, no matter whether he is a philosopher or a preacher, has love not deeper than 15 cm. Although many have tried to lie to me, I cannot be misled in these matters. This is the measure I apply to my love. You should find it, too. When Jesus woke up, he said, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” According to the Scripture perfect Love chases away all fears. Disasters do not occur where there is depth. So, when getting married, you should test the person you have chosen. If he or she worries too much, their bottom is shallow and there will be many storms – do not swim in such a lake. Some girl will say, “When I marry him, I will change him.” No, you will find the bottom. Even if he promises you golden mountains, you should not get in his boat. No matter whether he is a preacher, a priest, a merchant, or a judge, you should never get in his boat. Jesus asks you why you do not have that Love. The one who sends you the storm wants to test how great your Love, Wisdom, and Truth are. For example, there are Christians who would not lie for a farthing, but would gladly do so for a shilling. I knew a gentleman who used to say, “I would not lie for 10 or 100 lv., but if I were offered more, perhaps I would.” I, however, would not lie even if I were offered the whole world and all the glory. I would not pluck a hair from my beard; I would not ever lie for all riches in this world. A hair from my beard is worth more than anything, and if I ever gave someone a hair from my beard, it would be because the man is worth it. There are about 250,000 hairs on the human head. By a hair I mean a law. That is why women have long hair. Now you all comb your hair without being aware of these laws. You just think that putting hair on your heads and face is just God’s whim. God knew His business when He gave you hair, but I would not dare reveal His intentions. I would reveal this to you, but before that I would examine you. Do you have an idea what was all that in aid of? Why did Jesus suffer crucifixion? Satan appeared, tempting Him and saying, “I have seen many like you here.” Then he showed Him how people would spit at him and do evil in His name. Then Jesus turned to God and asked him, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Then God spoke deep to His soul, so Jesus said, “It is finished.” Now, some of you have been listening to my lectures for weeks, saying, “We are not doing any good.” I consider you to be good people who do not do good. You say that you do not have the conditions to work and deal with it. God has imparted everything in you, so you should not waste your time. You get in a boat, saying, “We are going to rule the waves.” You need to wake up Jesus, sleeping in the boat. There are a lot of spirits in your mind, scaring you. But the time when God is going to judge you for each word uttered by you is near. At first, He will judge the righteous, and then the sinners. Everyone will appear in front of Him to say what has been done for thousands of years. You may have done just one good deed in your life, but the point is in quality, and not in quantity. When Jesus comes and opens the book, He will see how many lambs have been slaughtered. You do slaughter lambs every day, and as a result, there is no peace in your homes. God, Whom I am speaking about, said, “Let Jesus wake up in you!” Now I am speaking to you, but this is a voice crying in the wilderness. When Jesus wakes up, you will rise from the dead, finding yourselves not in Jerusalem but in Galilee, your sufferings will be over, turning into a pleasant agitation and you will find yourselves in a pleasant atmosphere, favourable for your growth. The inferior and the superior lives are connected; however, the inferior life should be subordinate to the superior one. Do not let your stomach, heart, and mind rule over you – they should be your servants. Lift any desire to serve the Divine Principle. You reckon that you will understand the Jesus I so often talk about, trying hard to see Him. I would like to ask you whether your sea calmed down, and whether you came ashore. No. What you have seen is mock Christ; you have yet to see true Christ. When He appears, you will stand firm on the rock of Virtue, in the frame of Justice, and amongst the true mother of Love, who does not judge and avert from anybody. Love does not divide people into righteous and sinful. It lives both in Heaven and on earth, in hell and above. It enjoys performing its duty wherever it is. You will say, “I can’t stand this fellow.” You are a good person, but you do not do good. Somebody will say, “It’s good giving alms, but really, that’s the limit! I’m not going to be the slave of it!” You are such, too. So, it is time you listened to what Your Jesus in the boat, tossed in the rough sea, is about to tell you. What He is going to tell you should be kept sacred and secret. When I tell you Titus’ story, you say, “I haven’t done it.” But remember the times you get angry, saying that God built the world badly. Then you remove the shroud and happen to be just this Titus who destroyed Jerusalem. You will say, “How cruel that man was!” Remember the times you have defied God, while He said, “You small worm, do you know how you will die?” Some give Him advice – God does not need any advice. If all people understand the world in this way, if they are all able to apply this teaching, Christ will come. I would like all preachers, priests and judges think in this way – to keep to Justice, enjoy Love, learn Wisdom, and follow Truth. This is the only way people can make some progress - everything else is vanity. Only then can everything become meaningful. There is sense in cooking and washing. Someone is doing the washing, complaining, “Why should it be my duty?” For example the daughter-in-law, is doing the washing, saying, “Can’t I get rid of these old folks? It’s one thing washing my own clothes, but why should I wash theirs, too?” No, while washing, you should say instead, “Just as I am going to wash this shirt, I want you, Lord, to clean me!” If I am doing the washing, I will say, “ God, those people stained me! Now, make me clean again!” If I start writing something, I will say, “Just as I am doing this, I want you, Lord, to give me some colour!” Someone will say that the book was stained. A book cannot be studied unless it gets stained. If you examine the word mercy, you will see that the letter M has four lines forming two mounts and a valley. Therefore, to be merciful, you need two peaks, among which the valley lies. Likewise, human life cannot be made up of peaks only; it needs its valleys. The valleys are the dark, shadowy places. Sometimes your eyes are not well. Some weeks ago a young lady came to me, complaining that her lower lids were darkened. She had got it into her head and the thought haunted her. The problem, actually, was that her eyes were a bit popped out and cast a shade at different angles in the light. Similarly, when you see some shade, you start thinking that you are great sinners and nothing good will come out of you. These are just hollows and bulges, casting shade. God has sent you to serve someone, for instance, to take care of some orphans, while your ambition is to become first, to be Prime Minister and run the country. Give me the name of a minister, who has solved the problems of Bulgaria, England, or Germany. When your God wakes up, then all storms will abate, and you, along with Him, will have the power. You cannot do anything without Christ. Christ has to wake up so that you can be strong. And He can wake up only in five possible ways – when you are with Virtue, Truth, Justice, Wisdom and Love. Now, will you be in two minds if you are offered 1, 5, or 10 million levs? Imagine you were given all the riches, would you hesitate then? You might remind me of that quarryman who lived at the dawn of Christianity in Egypt. At the time a pious hermit lived, who used to weave baskets and sell them in Alexandria. On the way back from Alexandria he always met a poor quarryman, who invited him to his house, washed his feet, and offered him food. The hermit felt sorry for the quarryman and decided to ask God how to help him. God allowed him to help the poor man but only if his life would change in some way. “Well, will his life change if I offer him some money?” asked the hermit. “Well, I’ll show you a place where there is some money buried. Find it and give it to the quarryman.” The hermit found the money and gave it to the quarryman. The latter rose in life, built a huge house and soon became a grand vizir. One day the hermit met the former quarryman, who had become so important that pretended not to see him. The hermit, who was deeply hurt, walked on, but soon, met an Angel who gave him a nice hiding, saying, “It is you that lost a soul!” Then the hermit started praying to God to help him save the Quarryman’s soul. There followed rumours and plotting against the vizir, who as a result, lost his fortune and ended up cutting stone again. One day he saw the hermit and talked to him, “You know, I recognised you the time when we met. I only was too proud to say Hello. Pray to your God to give me some money again.” The hermit answered, “I do not want to be given another hiding.” You are pretty much like the hermit as you tend to give priority to the inferior, but the Angels will come and beat you, so you will have to raise the superior in man then. I am telling you all this, because I want you to be as virtuous, just, true, and wise as is God Himself. In our lives we should do just as God does to us. We are often discontent, but he sends us His blessing. It is always we that are the reason for our misfortunes. I shall give the following example: Once Nessredin Hodja climbed a tree and started hewing the branch on which he was sitting. A passer-by saw him doing this and warned him, “Don’t do this, or you will fall.” – “How do you know?” asked Nessredin Hodja and went on sawing the branch. And, indeed, on cutting off the branch, he fell on the ground. Then the hodja rose and ran after the fellow to ask him, “You told me I was going to fall off the tree and you were right. Now, tell me when I will die.” The man answered, “You will die in three days. You should dig yourself a grave under a pear-tree. You’d better lie in it and wait to die.” Nessredin Hodja took leaves with his wife, found a tree, dug himself a grave, lay in it and started waiting to die. Pears were falling off the tree and he ate them. Three days passed when a caravan of camels came along. On seeing him, the animals got frightened and ran away. The angry herdsmen caught him and gave him a good hiding. So he came back home, where his wife asked him, “How did you find the other world?” – “It’s really nice there. Pears fall right into your mouth, but if you frighten the camels, then it’s a different story.” You too happen to frighten camels, have a mosquito in the nose, or cut the branch on which you sit. Wake up Jesus, and He will teach you how to live. The highest principle has to come and free you from slavery. You are all slaves to each other: the husband waits for salvation from his wife, the wife from her husband, the daughter from her mother. Do not trust in people; wake up Christ in the boat and you will get to grasp the inner sense of everything. When the disciples saw that Christ was capable of calming the sea down, they realised that He had the power to control the inferior principle. May your Christ wake up and lead you to your Peace, give you Wisdom and Knowledge so that you can carry out the mission God assigned to you. Lecture given by the Master on 17th December, 1916, Sofia Source
  22. Zacchaeus “And Jesus said unto him, ‘This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.’” Luke 19:9 Hebrews 1 By content, this verse is of the ordinary ones. We should not disregard flowers as they have their fragrance as well. Important are the words, “This day is the salvation come to this house.” When someone has been ill for a long time, the life of that one passes through an important crisis – to stay or to depart. The doctor puts the hand to pulse in order to find the heartbeat and says that the crisis has been over, that the drugs have worked, i.e. a crisis of salvation has come. This is how it stands as regards the physical body, but a similar crisis exists in the human life as well. Tolstoy has gone through such crisis, too, prior to passing from his old to his new life. Many times, he had wanted to kill himself not finding any sense in life and one day, a very small reason gave the cause to save himself. When he was in a forest, he said to himself, “The robber who was on the cross passed through a crisis but saying, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord’ he was saved. He was a dying robber and I am a living robber.” Christ said to Zacchaeus, “Today, you caused your salvation.” What was the reason for his salvation? Although rich he was little of stature, i.e. he was physically unimposing. However, a desire to see Christ arose within him and he chose a mulberry tree along the road and climbed up into it. Every person seeking to achieve an ideal should hold a high position, to stay not in the crowd. When Christ came and looked up, He saw that there was an idea in the soul of this person and told him, “Come down; for today I must abide at your house.” In this man, there was not only a desire to climb high but also a spirit of justice and he said, “The half of my wealth I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.” Then Christ said, “This day is salvation come to this house.” And you, too, should climb up into a high tree within your soul - you should climb up to the highest position. Until you go hand in hand with the people, until you share their views and act like them, you can never find the Kingdom of God. Saying that you cannot find it, there are reasons for that. The Kingdom of God is an elevated life with different laws. It is not for common mortals, it is a place for immortal people, for people wanting to serve God. Hence, one who seeks to pass from the life of death into the immortal Life should climb up into the mulberry tree and give the half of their wealth to the poor; and should restore the people accused by them fourfold. Only then, one would pass from death to Life. Until not individualizing oneself, one is a moth. What is individualizing? This is a state of sacrificing. One who seeks to rise to a more elevated life has to devise a means of doing it. The means that people use on the Earth is suitable for there only, but is not suitable for Heaven as what is useful for the Earth is not useful for Heaven too. What is useful for a worm is not useful for a tree as when the worm goes in the tree, it withers. What is useful for our personal life is not useful for the social life. One should be neither a worm, nor a moth or a parasite. Mind that Zacchaeus was little of stature. When one seeks to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, the smaller that one is the better. Very true are the words of Christ saying that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to succeed to the Kingdom of God. In order to enter into the Kingdom of God, people should lay aside all their old desires and views. When a girl marries, she leaves not with her old cloths, with her broken shoes but she throws away everything and dresses pure new apparel. It is strange that people of today want to go to God in their rags. And when I preach the law of self-denial, you wonder how it is possible. It is possible for young – for girls and young men but it is impossible for old people, as they do not get married. Those of you who are old should not take offence. One should be young in the aspirations and as long as is alive should never say that there is anything impossible. The future is of the young, as they have ideals. Zacchaeus was such young person. Although rich, he climbed up into the mulberry tree. If you were in the place of Zacchaeus, you would start discussing what people would say; you would think that you occupy such and such position and would not succeed. Zacchaeus wanted not to know what people would say. And when passing, Christ saw him on the mulberry tree and told him, “Climb down, you are the one who will lead the way in the future. Climb down, in the future ages people will draw a lesson from your deed although you are a publican.” In order to justify this, Zacchaeus said, “I give the half of my property to the poor; and for the offences I will restore fourfold.” I am asking you who are listening to me, how many of you are ready to give the half of your property to poor men and to restore fourfold for the offences? Many of you want to enter the Kingdom of God very cheaply. One, who says that it is cheap to enter the Kingdom of God, says not the Truth. People should be young and there should be a spirit of self-denying, of self-sacrificing in them; they should be honest, should keep their word, should not deny what they have once said. If today people were keeping their word fairly, ninety per cent of contemporary evils would disappear. One should act fair, speak fair, sell fair, there should not be ambiguity in things! And what do we do? Once we make a mistake, we try to find a way to justify ourselves. No, do confess and say the following, “I have done it this way.” Right is right, wrong is wrong. And there is a deeper sense in all this. The little man Zacchaeus was not robust but was noble by mind and by soul. And Christ said, “This day salvation came to this house.” An ancient Greek king, hating crimes very much, issued an order according to which everyone caught in adultery must have both eyes gouged out. Unfortunately, king’s son was caught in adultery and he was brought to his father. The king said, “You will gouge out one eye of mine and tone eye of my son…” This is a person keeping their word. One, who commits crimes, should pay them off. The same did Zacchaeus – he gave the half of his property, which is one eye. For contemporary people wealth is their life and to take their wealth means to take their life. Today money makes people – one, who is rich, is nice and good. Often, girls say about some young man, “Let him be foolish but rich.” The same says the young man about the girl, “Let her be foolish but rich.” And afterwards they ask why their life is not quite successful, why they have so many misfortunes. This is because both of them are rich but stupid. When you feel yourself discontented with the world, this means that you are stupid. You want money and wealth from God but you want not the essential. A preacher wishes that many people listen to him but no one wishes to be listened to by a single. Like Zacchaeus, one should be ready to give away half of one’s wealth and to restore fourfold for the offences. You ask how you can find Christ. Apply this law – climb up into the mulberry tree. Many times, I have watched how all sheep were passing along a shepherd looking after a big flock but he was choosing only one to caress to, to talk to. This shows that it is his favourite sheep. And he names it a pet name; for example he calls it “Maro" and the sheep answers him. This shows that from all others, this sheep has individualized itself. Like Zacchaeus, it has climbed up into the mulberry tree and the shepherd knows it. By the same law, we should individualize ourselves as well. We should give up with all our old habits and aptitudes. This is the aim of contemporary culture. Every science aims at reorganizing the human mind. Science works in the mind and religion works in the heart. They are two methods of rectifying the human soul, of preparing for the way of the elevated Life. This is because pride appears in the mind and evil – in the heart. Sometimes you think you can reform the world or you feel sad for people having no respect for you. Pride appears when people start individualizing themselves. Now, I advise you to keep the fast for five or six days so that you try how much your power is. Usually, when two or three days of the fast pass, you cannot stand it anymore. Christ tried his life – He has kept the fast for forty days so that He could know His soul. If you cannot go without food, that means you have no power and are unable to find Christ. Contemporary people have laid up this wealth as they consider they must eat and drink and have become slaves of the kitchen. Women are servants of the kitchen. Priests, too, order all day long what and how should be cooked. And how many servants have been given thrashing just for not having cooked the dish well and on time. The high-priest comes and asks at once whether the dish has been cooked. This is the ideal at which people aim. Do not get me wrong, I speak not against eating but making it a cult of life is wrong. For example, at present, people are given a quarter kilogram of bread per man (in the old days this did not happen but today, people live even with that). The day before yesterday I met a man who had been given three-quarter kilograms of bread in all at the baker’s shop. He was wondering how he would satisfy the whole family for this quantity would hardly last him only and was saying to himself, “What times have come!” I say, you should climb up into the mulberry tree. Today, too, Christ is passing through the world; all are crowding around Him. This is a discontent and Christ wants to see how many people will be up in the mulberry tree. You should understand this image internally. Until your souls do not pass that great way of self-denial, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God. It is a place for strong people. It is said, “Who wins.” Winning means giving. Evil in the world results from that we want for ourselves only. God has sent us not to take possession of things, not to take possession of nature forces as everything belongs to Him. Taking possession means governing wisely. A day will come when the property you have will be taken from you. Where will your bodies be after twenty or thirty years? They will come, will expel you and will tell you, “Go out!” Why? If you had climbed up into the mulberry tree, Christ would tell you, “Today the salvation of this house came”. Zacchaeus will not be expelled by anybody. The one who expels people from the world is not God. When God sent man to the Earth, He gave him servants to serve him but man corrupted them and today they are expelling him. Microbes are the ones that spoil people and expel them. And people rightly say that as one eats the others so they eat that one as well. Within ourselves, we have created a variety of parasitic thoughts and desires able to kill us. Often, a single thought is able to kill someone. A bad thought is able to change our pulse and mood. Do you know how much a word costs? It is able to cause a whole fire in the world. That is why when we become masters, we should avoid evil, should avoid these base coins that spoil the world. They are vermin we feed within us. If we feed a small snake in our womb, growing up it would eat our stomach through and would go out. They say there are such small snakes eating through their mothers’ stomachs. If such bad thoughts and desires act within your soul, they will eat you through and you will die. Then the whole art of science will remain useless, the whole philosophy will be unable to be of use to you. Salvation happens only when Christ enters this house. This is because there was a spirit of self-denial in Zacchaeus. And so, no salvation is possible in the world without Christ coming in. As a sick one is unable to recover if there is not light getting in their house, so there is no salvation if Christ enters not your minds. Salvation is prerogative of God only. In order to save yourself you should comprehend, should rule over these forces. You may say that you have aspiration, you know. Try to see how much you know. A French officer wanted to oppose a law but before that, he went to a friend of him and said, “Beat me as long as you wish!” When he was thrashed two robust sticks, he said, “That’s enough, I will see how much I will be able to endure in what I have planned to do…” If you are unable to overcome a bad thought or a bad desire, how will you be able to win the world? If you cannot rule over your tongue, you would not rule over the world either. Someone says, “My daughter has become very bad.” She has not become bad now; I know that she had been such even before she was born and you ought to have known what she was going to be. What we see now is within us, it is not external. Someone may ask why God allows these great trials. He is a Great master and He tries us. He uses the stick and says, “Prostrate this son on the ground, hit him twenty five sticks!” And, if this son picks himself up and embraces his father, this means that he knows the laws. God says, “I want not all your wishes, thoughts and actions, all your rags, here is not a rag-fair.” This thing can happen neither by prays nor by reading. People are very strange! A gentleman comes to me and says, “Please, do influence so that I win fifty thousand levs in a lottery, twenty five thousands of which I will give the church and for charity deeds.” No, the Kingdom of God is not a lottery. We should define flatly and clearly why Christ has divided goats from sheep. Now Christ is dividing people one from another as in chemistry a compound breaks down and one element divides from another. You have to take either the position of Zacchaeus who is the man of the future or the position of the crowd that does not belong to the future. Zacchaeus is a collective being – people able to renounce their beliefs and hold their hands to one another, this is Zacchaeus. I have visited churches although I had been blamed for not visiting the church. I know all people and all priests as I know myself. I will liken contemporary religious people to that king who called his ten ministers prior to starting on a long journey and divided his kingdom in ten parts so that they rule over them until he comes back. Coming back, the king disguised himself as a beggar, went to his first minister and told him, “I am poor, don’t you have anything to give me?” The minister said, “Wife, give him my torn trousers so that I get rid of them.” – “Thank you” – the beggar said. – “Of course, you will thank me – the minister replied, - they are good for you.” After that, the king went to the second minister, “Sonny, don’t you have any garment to give me?” – “Wife, give him the torn garment!” He went to the third minister and was given a torn shirt as well. At the fourth minister, he was given a torn hat, at the fifth – worn shoes and so on. All gave him something. At the end, the king arrived officially to the palace and invited all his ministers to feast. They thought, “What presents has the king brought us?” Everybody put on their ceremonial dress, took their places around the table and waited. And the king began presenting them: he gave the first minister the torn trousers, the second – the coat, the third – the hat, the fourth – the shirt, etc… So Christ, having many torn trousers, shirts, shoes and hats, will gather you at a feast and will present everybody some of these torn things. You will now say, “Thank God, we aren’t as them.” I do not know, there is a verse saying, “And their thoughts walk after them.” Thousands years ago a shepherd had much sheep and in the place they pastured, there was a wolf visiting the flock constantly. The shepherd used to chase and beat it, but it managed to steal a sheep from time to time. At a time, an epizootic appeared in that place taking away the life of all sheep. Hearing this, the wolf began crying, went to the shepherd and told him, “With what great disaster both of us met – your sheep died, so you lost wool, milk and meat and I lost the opportunity to take a sheep from time to time”. The shepherd said, “Why are you crying, it doesn’t matter that we suffered such a disaster, at one time we lived like enemies and now we live like friends.” And the wolf said, “I would prefer that you chase me always but your sheep were alive…” This is not a noble idea, this is a self-seeking idea – let others have so that we have as well. This is how contemporary dogs have appeared. This wolf was the first turned into a shepherd dog. This old-time wolf keeps its promise even to this day and is the one going with the shepherd. And the shepherd says to it, “Don’t be afraid, I will always give you from a sheep I stick, you only don’t steal!” Christ, too, entered the home of Zacchaeus in order to raise him. If Christ enters you soul, He would raise you. If Christ enters and says, “Today, the salvation of this home will come”, you would become noble for all Angels, for all people. For the then people Zacchaeus did not do anything unusual but for us he is an ideal – he did a noble deed. I would like that this striving appears in you as well and Christ finds you in this mulberry tree. Some are asking what they will do when they die. See that Christ find you on the mulberry tree and tell you, “Come, Zacchaeus, today the salvation came to your house.” And when Christ comes, you should not hide but should say, “I give the half of my wealth to the poor and I will try to correct all my mistakes.” How many years must wait in order people become noble? If you have the courage of Zacchaeus, you can become noble for one day, i.e. within one life. If you have no this courage, many days, many lives will pass, but anyway you will have to climb up into the mulberry tree, i.e. into the Divine tree. The snake climbed up into a tree and lured Eve whereas Zacchaeus climbed up into the Tree of life and Christ called Him. Now you, too, have to climb up into the Tree of life. Which is this tree? It is the conscious Life that Tolstoy has described – to live for God and to break off all connections with the old. The old is an unnecessary and poisonous food for us. With what are you full now? If I dissect you, I will find envy, hatred, anger, pessimism, disbelief, unwisdom in your larders and eating-houses. You would say it is insulting. I would like that you look at my larder as well, to see what is there. Everyone should open his or her souls so that the world see what is there, as Nature opens Its soul every spring. Everyone should open their souls, their source and show what is there. Now, they say about a girl, “Don’t smell her as your nose will fall off.” Or, they say about a young man, “When you smell him, your nose will fall off.” Yesterday in the Boris’s Gardens[1], I met a young man and a young girl talking but they were unhappy even there. The young man was staying from the left of the girl and she told him, “You have changed, you are not as before.” If now they have already changed, say nothing of later when they marry. The teaching of Christ is not such a science. As per this science, both man and woman should know each other very well. If you know your husband, only then you will find his love. If you know not each other, do not marry. If you know not your husband, do not marry; if you know not your wife, do not marry, if you know not your child, do not marry. If you want to marry, climb up into the mulberry tree. And when you are going to marry, see to find the young man or the girl up into the mulberry tree and they to say, “The half of my wealth I give you and if I have insulted you, I restore you fourfold.” Contemporary young men and girls marry so that they make provision for themselves. God has not sent you to the world to make provisions; He has sent you to study. If someone wants to become a judge, appoint him or her to this office if he or she has been on the mulberry tree. If someone wants to become a priest, appoint that one to this office if he or she has been on the mulberry tree, if he or she gives the half of their wealth to the poor. If someone wants to become a bishop, he has to have been into the mulberry tree. Then Christ will say, “Climb down, today I will be at your house.” In this case, ninety percent of your choice will be right. Think of the Tree I am speaking about – it is marvelous, it is a Tree of salvation and each one who climbs up into it will be saved. One should study from a high what the Divine laws are, what results our actions will cause not now only but after thousands of years as well, what result my words will have in the future. For this reason, I will go on talking to you. I do not want that either of you reproach me for not have said what you should do. When I meet you some day, no matter where, I will tell you, “I had talked everything you ought to have done.” I will still meet you no matter as a sinner or as a good one. However, I do not wish that you were like that American about whom I am g