T.N.G. SIGNS OF THE TIMES - N.M. January 13, 2002 (#103)
Greetings from Russell's Remnant: www.oocities.org/dkone_us
Excerpts from an Esoteric Hierarchial Teacher’s Handbook: (Part-2) – continuation of TNGNL #102
Few are ready to refine their consciousness.
Group love does not connote happy relationships between individual members of the group. It might lead to unhappy outer, superficial interplay, but basically it leads to an unalterably staunch loyalty. The projection of the senior disciple is often disturbing and upsetting to the other disciples. These intrusive influences upon the group are usually interpreted in personality terms and are very little understood. The inexperienced disciples resent and blame the evoking sources for their discomfort, instead of learning the needed lesson of handling force.
A man who is delivered from the danger of a fierce lion does not object whether this service is performed by an unknown or an illustrious individual. Why, therefore, do people seek knowledge from celebrities?
Renounce joy, good reputation, friends and all that the heart clings to. Should bereavement come your way, smile through it; it will end in a rich reward and the return of all that has been lost. Should scorn and despising be your lot, smile still, for only the look of commendation that comes from the Master is the one to seek. Should lying tongues take action, fear not, but forge ahead.
Senior disciples sometimes recede into the background, appear less active outwardly; and so be misjudged, but their spiritual influence will be growing. They care not what others think about them. Some may even be persecuted in their homes or by those they seek to help.
Inform a man of a truth that would, if accepted, alter his stereotyped way of life, and he will as like as not condemn you as a radical; reason with him, and he will stubbornly insist on the primacy of his instincts; on the other hand, display indifference to his plight, and he will denounce you for being callous to his suffering. Whoever would serve the human race must be prepared for misunderstanding, misinterpretation, and the perversity that upholds the opposite of what is said. It is often better to allow a person to fashion his spiritual certainties out of his own bitter conflicts.
Distinguish between those who understand and those who agree. He who understands the Teaching will not tarry in applying it to life. He who agrees will nod and extol the Teaching as remarkable wisdom but will not apply this wisdom to life. These agreers are like fruitless and shadeless trees which only decay awaits. Those who understand are few, but like a sponge they absorb the precious knowledge and are ready to cleanse the horrors of the world with the precious liquid. Do not waste much time with the agreeing ones. Let them first demonstrate the application of the first call. He who agrees will readily accept the benefits but will be horrified by the first obstacle. Therefore test through obstacles.
In each group, there is one member whose difficulties are more serious because they constitute a true detriment to the group.
Truly one can become exhausted not so much by enemies as by the indifference of friends.
The disciple is esoterically never called "unnoticed in his place and minus impact on other souls." His influence, emanations and forceful energy inevitably produce problems and difficulties for him - these are based on karmic relationships and the reactions of those he contacts. Difficult situations, apparent cleavages and the emergence of faults or virtues upon those affected make their appearance, and often persist for many lives, until the person thus influenced becomes what is called "occultly reconciled to the emanating energy." Ponder on this. The adjustment has to come from the side of those influenced, and not from the disciple.
A tiny handful of you have responded, sacrificed, and worked hard. The rest have been interested intellectually, but could not make the needed sacrifices, or refuse to put first things first - secondary issues occupied their lives.
Disciples who put many things and people before their duty and spiritual responsibilities do not put "first things first." This gives their fellow disciples just grounds for criticism. There are times when criticism is unquestionably a recognition of fact. It is simply a loving recognition of limitation.
Seek out a sun and feed it life. Let time take care of those stars whose size is small and their radiance limited.
If one perceives the guru as Buddha, one will attain Buddhahood. If one perceives the guru as a bodhisattva, one will become a bodhisattva. Perceiving the guru as an ordinary mortal, one will remain an ordinary mortal. If you find an enlightened guru, serve the guru, fulfilling his wishes in every way. To serve the guru is the swiftest way to attain enlightenment equal to his.
In the pursuit of knowledge, every day something is added. In the practice of the Tao, every day something is dropped.
When the disciple is of sufficient importance to become the center of a group (prior to taking a major initiation), the difficulty can be very real and most disturbing. Little can be done by the disciple. A disciple serves; he writes and speaks; his words influence the masses of men, arousing them to activity - often good and spiritual, sometimes evil, antagonistic and dangerous.
When a superior man hears of the Tao, he immediately begins to embody it. When an average man hears of the Tao, he half believes it, half doubts it. When a foolish man hears of the Tao, he laughs out loud. If he didn't laugh, it wouldn't be the Tao.
Group rapport tunes out criticism and substitutes analysis impersonally given and truthfully stated.
"When we understand," wrote Chuang-tzu, "we are at the center of the circle, and there we sit while Yes and No chase each other around the circumference."
Know that those who understand these rules are few. Know that those who follow these rules are fewer.
Each one who condemns the Hierarch must remember that his levity and crime will infect his karma for many ages. By belittling the Hierarch one may condemn oneself and inflict perilous harm on many near ones.
Each stone thrown at Hierarchy will be transformed into a mountain against oneself.
Whosoever shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is heaven. Even so, it is not the will of your Father, which is in Heaven, which one of these little ones should perish.
An initiate is a worker for humanity, who brings results which succeeding generations will recognize. In spite of his achievements, he is seldom understood by his own generation. He is frequently the butt of men's tongues and frequently all he does is misinterpreted. He lays his all - time, money, influence, reputation and all that the world considers worth while - upon the altar of altruistic service, and frequently offers his life as a final gift, only to find that those whom he has served scorn his renunciation and label him with unsavory names.
The life of one who opposes a Hierarch becomes very complicated. We leave him, who is not in need of Our boat, to cross the ocean even if it be on a bamboo stick.
Personalities warring against ego are doomed eventually to lose. The strong vibrations of those acting under control of the ego will inevitably beat out those under control of the personality.
A group is no more powerful than it weakest link. A group suffers esoterically when one member fails to measure up.
Every time we use soul-force we raise a great force of Karma against our adversary, the after-movements of which we have no power to control. The very quiescence and passivity of the spiritual man under violence and aggression awakens the tremendous forces of the world to a retributive action; and it may even be more merciful to stay in their path, though by force, those who represent evil than to allow them to trample on until they call down on themselves a worse destruction than we would ever think of inflicting.
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Remember Russell Whitesell’s admonition to those who want to teach for the Hierarchy - “No you don’t. It is a thankless job fraught with many bitter, arrogant, ignorant and ungrateful students. You’ll be sorry you want to be a Teacher like me. It’s a painful job.” Each group suffers greatly from those students who are agreers but not understanders. The Tuesday Night Group is no exception. Russell’s work suffers from the defection of many students who called themselves disciples, but withdrew when their egos were bruised or their egos were not stroked. Ah so!