The WMS Library Master & Disciple Part 3

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Of Master and Disciple

PART 3 of 5

The following is a fictional account of a spiritual awakening with a factual basis. This five part series is offered to promote and encourage the practices of the World Mind Society, making the reader aware of some of the potentials involved in this system.

After a moment of reflection the seeker responded by asking, "Is it a fact then, that all distinctions of class, race, caste, nationality, belief, political affiliation, and other ideas of society which divide people into groups are not of the Truth?" "This is so”, the Adept replied. "All of these distinctions are created by man at the hazard of the welfare of man. It is in the forgetfulness that we are all of Consciousness alike, that is the source for every ill in the divided house of humanity, one which must surely fall again and again, until we return to our common roots. Such divisions do not exist in Truth, nor are they of any real importance, other than the fact that they should be noted for their destructiveness". "How then can we return to our common roots, and find unity in this divided world?", asked the seeker.

The Adept turned to face the many fires whose light flickered on thick, angled branches. His eyes, also lit by an inner fire, a spiritual determination, were quiet. Speaking softly the Adept finally made reply, saying, "The many great Saints and Teachers of all ages have been asked forms of such questions, since before written history. Always has their answer been the same, though words and techniques have differed according to the needs of the time. It can be said that the suffering of human beings, brought about by their own devices and not through a lack of capability, is like that of a moth circling a flame. The moth is attracted to the candle not out of need, but out of fascination with its light and heat. As it circles closer and closer its wings start to burn, and yet it continues on as though the courting of death was merely a trivial detail, in the pursuit of sensation and self indulgence. Only when the moth burns itself severely enough does it then decide to save itself, if at all. By then it may be too injured to fly again, but still it may survive. Humanity circles around the flames of the senses, of sensation and stimulation. There is nothing inherently wrong with these, but because it is easy to make the mistake of assuming that sensation equates to happiness, there is danger in a sensual focus. If this focus is not checked by wisdom, the mind begins to think that stimulation is happiness, or at least a release from the miseries of an imbalanced lifestyle. Thus the pursuit of sensual stimulation goes on endlessly. Only upon looking within do we realize that fulfillment is not to be found in sensation, for sensation is transitory, and is not the essence of happiness. The essence of happiness, of realization, of fulfillment and lasting success, is in the self knowledge of the Consciousness we already possess. This same message has been the one provided by all the spiritual figures of history. Regardless of these messages however, the majority of humanity like the moth, still circle the flames of material sensation in fascination. Like the moth, man still destroys himself by directing his Divine Energies in futile circles that do not do justice to his actual capability. To make a fundamental change of this condition, humanity must break the cycle of stimulation at any cost. This inner imbalance begins through the wrong focus of seeking sensation rather than understanding, to start with. Imbalance creates craving for further stimulation, to ease the discomfort of unnatural living, which itself creates more imbalance and eventually death. This state of human affairs must first be recognized for what it is, by looking within. Through such practices as meditation, prayer, and moment to moment Awareness, humanity must see its true identity. This is Consciousness, not the products of thought, emotion and sensation. Through the identification with the true self, realize that all that is needed for fulfillment is already within. In the clarity that comes from the self identification with Consciousness, Truth is easily perceived, for it is no longer obscured by artificial desires. In doing this humanity will again be a united house within the realm of God and Nature”.

After a brief moment of meditation, the seeker again spoke inquiring, "How then shall we best understand Consciousness?" To this the Adept said, "Know Consciousness as that ever-present Watcher within; that presence contained in the body, mind and soul which is ever aware. It is the immediacy of presence within, the focuser, not that which is focused upon in the world, which has true relevance for self understanding. Make not the mistake that this watcher, which is an aspect of the true self, has any identity in thought, image, or emotion, for it is none of these. Thoughts, images and emotions are the product of Consciousness, thus they are only what it does, not what it is, just as the carpenter is not the house built. Meditate upon the Watcher within, that immediacy of presence that sees through all the senses, and yet is none of them. Nor is it any of the objects of perception. The perceiver is not the perceived, and so it is that the wise remain detached from worldly affairs, even while participating in them. In meditating upon Consciousness thus, notice every aspect of the watcher within, not only in what it does, but also for what it is. In this you will come to know the true self, and obtain all the keys to the kingdom of God. In knowing the true self, you will also come to know the Truth of existence as well".

"Great one, how is it that although there are many who meditate thus, there are but few who attain the realization of which you speak?", asked the seeker. "This is so", the Adept replied, “not because there are but few who perceive the true self, but because after having seen it, do not retain the knowledge gained by its sight. In meditation or prayer the true self is often seen, as pure Consciousness itself is not difficult to see once the habit of continuous thoughts that cloud perception is stopped, by whatever means. Seeing the true self within is not difficult because it is the actual faculty in us that is Seeingness itself. In other words, it is 'that which looks' or 'that which is aware'. This true self never goes away, nor can it be destroyed, but it can be covered over by layers of thought through years of inappropriate focus. The lifelong habit of the continuous creation of words in the mind, and their associated images have like a river, a great deal of force behind them. The river of thought is compelling because it is extremely well known to the mind, having been ingrained there by the words of other people since the first day of life. Thus it becomes the cohesive force behind the personality, in fact, it composes the personality which would not exist without it. Stopping this river of thought can be difficult because we make it so, through a repetition of mental words and images. Thus, although many See this pure Awareness within, which is the creator of thought, they do not make the decision to identify with it, to adopt it as the prevailing mode of the self, day to day, moment to moment. It is not through a lack of Seeingness of the Truth, that most seekers fail to achieve the level of realization they seek. It is simply that they have not taken responsibility for what it is that they have seen".

"What can be done to remedy this problem of lack of responsibility for what is seen?", the seeker asked quietly, as he too stared into the fires in the distance. "Your questions are very relevant ones", commented the Adept, "reflecting much correct inner focus. There is truly very little that can be done directly to remedy this problem, other than what has always been done by Masters and philosophies throughout the ages. Self responsibility in embracing and living the Truth is something each person must decide to undertake. The Master may only point the way, because they cannot truly take responsibility for another. To attempt to do so is folly, and only creates dependency in others, who rely on the Master as one leans on a crutch when crippled. In doing so, they become less able to take the necessary spiritual steps into the landscape that is Consciousness. This is why those who attempt to teach such as I, give discourse and demonstration, not to provide enlightenment for others for this is futile, but to educate and inspire. In this, those who engage in spiritual practice may realize from their own experiences of life, through right inner focus, the deepest possible lessons to be learned. They may then likewise embody those lessons with zeal. It is not so much the knowledge imparted by a teacher that is important, as knowledge is directly available to all through Consciousness. It is the teacher’s personal example, their ability to inspire students as to the importance of right inner focus, that is the mark of an excellent Guru. The true teacher is one who aims at all students becoming themselves teachers, and examples of Truth. Thus, right emphasis enables learning even more than does right knowledge".

Seeker and Adept sat together for some time in silence, and soon most of the fires of the camp were extinguished, leaving only the light of distant suns, and a half moon as the inheritors of the night. "Let us begin our walk back for the night now", said the Adept, "and perhaps resume our discussion tomorrow, after the midday discourse. In answer to your question as to what one may do to become my student, I trust that the answer to this has become apparent in what we have spoken of tonight. For any disciple of mine is actually a disciple of Truth, and in turn I am their student as well. Those who embrace Truth, and who take responsibility for the fact of the true self, are all implicitly the same servants of the cause of Consciousness, of God. They recognize each other whenever their eyes meet. It is the brotherhood and sisterhood of Truth to which all people belong, whether or not they be called disciple, seeker, adept, Master, Avatar or beggar. All compose the body of God and in Truth, all act as one in ultimate purpose. If you see legitimate reasons as to how this purpose may be best served by studying with me, then so be it. Be ever certain though, you remember who the true Master is".

The seeker listened carefully to these words and nodded understanding. In reply he said " I am in your debt for your words of wisdom. My thanks". To this the Adept said, "No thanks are necessary, just remain true. Remember your own lessons. You are accepted here for as long as you think necessary". The two had crossed the encampment in what felt like only a few seconds to the seeker, approaching now the tent which was the focus of so many hundreds. The Adept gave a slight bow with hands folded, to which the seeker reciprocated with great affection, and then entered canvas flaps without a sound. The seeker made his way to his own bed of grasses, weaving imperceptibly in a dizziness born of revelation and true delight. This day had indeed been a crowning glory to years spent in a humble pilgrim’s life of contemplation. Life and God are indeed good he thought to himself, while drifting off to sleep.

The following day revealed a light rain during the healings performed in the morning. By noon the clouds had parted, and a strong midday heat which no one seemed to notice, accompanied the afternoon discourse. Almost all of those present during the previous day were there, as well as perhaps a hundred more, who had arrived during the early morning. A gong was sounded by an attendant, to call attention to the white robed one seated at the boulder’s crest. Today as before on many previous occasions, the Adept spoke of spiritual living and its necessity, but this time he was accompanied by his two primary disciples as well.

They stood in a triangle, all three facing east, intoning together certain syllables of words contained in scriptural texts, with arms raised overhead, and hands clasped together. After some minutes of this the three then grew silent, bringing their arms down, and then extending them forward with palms facing out, fingers pointing skyward. This they did in unison even with closed eyes, and it seemed to the seeker who had placed himself in the same spot as yesterday, that these men had a silent rapport whose depth was beyond the spoken word.

Waves of feeling washed through the dusty and sun baked crowd, as though they stood directly underneath an invisible waterfall of delight. It refreshed and revived them to the point where most of those who were seated stood, and many gave involuntary shouts like cries of victory in battle. The seeker, leaning on the rocks below, felt currents of Energy leading up through his feet from the Earth, and then passing out through his hands which rested upon them. He had felt such Energy from the Earth before, but never to this degree, nor with this feeling of sweetness. Even the Adept's demonstration the day before was not equal to this experience.

Matthew Webb visionquest@eoni.com

The World Mind Society http://www.eoni.com/~visionquest

PART 4