Reflection
If modern people were asked whether they were satisfied with life, what would they answer? All people want to be healthy, cheerful and beautiful, to be well dressed, to have nice homes. Do you think that if you had these things, your life would be good? Many people do not think about this topic, they want to have everything and nothing else interests them. What then about the little beetles and crickets that hide in their holes and are content with that? What about the trees that stay buried in the ground for years? Not only that, but one day a man comes along, swings his axe and cuts them down one by one. After all that, you put them in the fire to burn. You will say that this is God’s work. Burning trees, picking flowers, that is not God’s work. Does God allow discontent, doubt and suspicion? Does He make people angry, unwilling to work and study?
Few people give an account of their lives and actions, and they constantly think that if they are not well in this world, they will be well at least in the other world. They imagine the other world as this one. The old Bulgarians had a special idea of that world. They thought that when one of their relatives went to the other world, all their acquaintances from Earth would meet them there. Therefore, when one of their relatives, a peasant or a citizen, died, all their acquaintances who had deceased relatives would line up at the deceased’s place to send many greetings to their relatives. They did not think about how that deceased person would convey their greetings. First if all, the dead person does not know where hell or heaven is located, he does not know the language of the other world, but he will bring greetings from Earth. Just as on Earth one must walk, see, hear, understand, think and feel, so in the other world one must possess these faculties. If a person cannot walk, in which world will he be? If he does not see, hear, think and feel, in which world is he? You will say that these things are trifles. They are not trifles. Moreover, you should know that God is also concerned with trifles. What a person never thinks about, God thinks about it.
Most people think that money drives life. Is that really true? Can money buy life? No millions can buy life. When death comes, money is powerless. Food, water, air and light give more to man than money. They lift him up, renew him, rejuvenate him. This cannot be achieved with money. The value of money depends on the light. If there is no light, money is not visible. If it is not visible, it has no value. However, when the light comes, money becomes visible; when it is visible, it becomes valuable. That is valuable which makes a person happy internally and externally. You will say that one cannot do without money. I agree: one cannot do without money, one cannot do without bread, but what is the thing that one cannot do without even for a moment? Can one do without air, without light, without water? If there is no light, one cannot move freely. What if he is slightly impaired visually or if he cannot see at all? Some people think that eyes are needed only for the Earth, and not for the other world. But one needs to see there too. What kind of eyes he will use is a different matter. It is important that in the other world one also needs light to see where he is going. When one goes to the other world, the first thing is to see how one moves – in a straight line or in a curved line. While he is on Earth, he strives to walk in a straight line. However, another force makes him meander, move in a curved line. Moreover, it is important how a person steps. It is correct to step first on the toes, and then on the heel. Whoever does not observe this law steps first on the heel, then on the toes. Thus, he makes a great noise, shaking the floor on which he steps, and expends a great deal of energy.
Nature does not like people who make a lot of noise around them and spend their energy in vain. Life is not all about storms, nor all about thunder. If it is only about thunder, people will get scared and hide away in mouse holes. Many people are afraid of thunder, they burn candles, they pray, not suspecting that thunder has a rejuvenating effect. When Nature cries and gets angry, that is when she renews things. The rain is Nature’s weeping, and the storms and thunder are Nature’s anger. Why does Nature cry? – Because her children do not understand her. When she gets angry and sees that they do not understand her again, she cries a little and moves away from them, saying, “I will visit you again.” But the issues are not resolved with shouting, nor with discontent, nor with doubt and suspicion, nor with weeping.
Some years ago, the newspapers wrote about an interesting case that happened at the market in Sofia. A peasant from the nearby villages brought a vat of pure, fresh cow butter to sell. Two well-dressed citizens approached him and asked him how much he wanted for the butter. ‘Edi-how much,’ said the villager. They gave him 50 leva and added: “We are three partners. The third is the village priest. He is a good man, he will pay the rest of the money. Here, take this envelope on which the address of the priest is written, and you will get your money.” They put 50 leva in the envelope for the priest and wrote to him to welcome the villager well and read him a prayer because he was a little mentally disturbed. When the priest received the letter, he read it, took the money and took the peasant to the church to read a prayer to him. He put the epitrachelion on his head and began to read. The peasant bent down, knelt down and listened to what the priest was reading. The prayer went on for 15-20 minutes, until finally the peasant called from under the epitrachelion, “Father, reading will not get this job done.” Hearing that he was speaking unrelated things, the priest continued to read more prayers. The villager spoke again, “Father, prayers do not help here; you must give money.”
Some people want to resolve important issues with prayers. What happens then? – They read prayers one after another, but in the end the issues remain unresolved. Life needs good and reasonable people. There is no reason to read a prayer for 50 or a hundred leva. That is a temptation. If there was no money in the letter, the priest would not read prayers and would not make a fool of himself.
Many people like the priest read prayers to a person, hoping their work goes well. For example, someone buys a lottery ticket and, if he is not a believer, he relies on luck to win something; if he is a believer, he prays to God to win, promising that he will give some part of the prize to the poor. Years ago an acquaintance came to me asking me to tell him which ticket would win at least 500,000 leva. If he won, he would give 50 thousand leva to the Brotherhood. I told him that if the Brotherhood needed money, they would take that winning ticket, they would count on him. “I am a poor man, let me help improve my situation.”-“You are poor, but today you are better off than if you got rich. Wealth will blind you and you will refuse to serve God.”
People these days are strange. They have great riches, but they do not value them. The brain, the heart, the body, which have been given to them, cannot be bought with any money. They are worth billions. After all this somebody says, “What is man worth? He was made of dust, to dust he will return.” This is not correct. You do not know what kind of dust man is made of; you do not know what elements are in that dust and how they are combined. Man is expensive. His organism is complex. Some people are dissatisfied, they want to be beautiful. It is good for man to be beautiful, but beauty is dangerous. Only the smart, the kind, the loving one can be beautiful. The one who learns, the one who loves the Truth, only he can be beautiful. If one does not have these qualities, he cannot be beautiful.
It is interesting that one is unhappy with ugliness but does its job. He loves Truth and Love but does not act according to their laws. Everyone wants to be loved – and when he finds someone to love him, he abuses them. Love is light. What do you take from it? – You open yourself to the light and let it freely enter inside you. Whatever it gives you, you are satisfied with it. Should you then ask the one who loves you to give you everything he has? Intelligent beings enter inside you through the bright rays of the sun, and they bring you something valuable. Each being is represented by a special colour – blue, red, yellow, green, orange, etc. Accept their colours and be grateful for them.
Do not expect angels to come and bring you the blessings of life. Whatever they bring you, some small or great blessing, be content with it. Angels are creatures of thought. They cannot stay with you for hours and keep you busy. They pass by you as the light does. They move at the speed of light, no one can reach them, nor can they stop for simple conversations. Whoever has bright and lofty thoughts can follow the angels with his thought. Have any of you had the experience of having sent a bright thought into the angelic world, which came back after a while? Many thoughts, feelings and actions of people cripple them. Whoever wants to get rid of them, let them look in the mirror. Everything is written on the face. Take the brush like artists and erase everything that hinders you. Then draw such lines that will convey the beauty and love that your soul aspires to.
The true man is an artist, a sculptor, a musician. He works on himself to recreate that original image of which it is said in Genesis, “And God made man in His own image.” Why does man have eyes? So that to express the sublime thought of God. Through them he is to perceive that thought and learn from it. Whoever cannot perceive this thought is constantly encountering bitter occasions and gets discouraged. Both bitter and sweet things are in their right place. Nature also makes use of them. When she heals a person, she gives him bitter pills. Bitterness sets things right. If someone cannot swallow the bitter pill directly, Nature covers it with something sweet on top. This is what doctors do with children. There are two kinds of life: one is sweet outside, bitter inside; the other is sweet inside, bitter outside. Whether it is bitter on the outside or the inside, bitterness is inevitable. Life on Earth is sweet on the outside, bitter on the inside. The birth of a child represents the sweet shell of life. The death of man represents the inner bitterness of life. There is a life which is sweet both outside and inside. This is the Divine life in which Love reigns. The first condition is light. Whoever lives in light, their life is sweet both externally and internally. Man is made of light. Why not live in his own environment? Light leads to good, darkness to evil.
What came first in the world: good or evil? Good is the manifested reality of things, and evil is the shadow of that reality. Therefore, good has come earlier. Good represents the branches of the tree, and evil represents the roots. They suck the nutrient juices from the ground and send them into the stem and branches. The sweet, delicious fruits are born on the branches. There is such a relationship between good and evil, as there is between the roots and branches of a tree. They help each other. People often associate bad deeds with evil. In fact, they are not identical. Evil enters people’s bad deeds and crimes to manifest them outwardly, but it differs from them. Good also enters people’s bad deeds to correct them, but it is only a condition for them. Evil is the oxygen of bad deeds and mistakes; it amplifies their manifestations. When good enters among them, the combustion ceases. It opposes evil as nitrogen regulates the violent action of oxygen in the air, and man can breathe freely. What is better: to live with fire, or without fire? Fire itself burns, scorches and ruins, but its results are good.
One thing is required of man – to think straight. Put your mind to work and move forward. You will say that you want to see God. Whoever has bright thoughts, feelings and deeds can always see Him. Life is built on the Good. So, the Good is the foundation of life. God sees the Good that is being done, and is constantly writing. Man’s future life is determined by what is written in his book. Man’s credit is determined by what is written. If nothing is written in the book, or if there is no light in what is written, the man’s credit is taken away. There may be a little written, but there is light in it. It is this light that defines man’s life. You will know a little, but you will apply it well and correctly. What will you do if you see two ants fighting over a crumb? One says that it saw the crumb first, and the other says the same. You are the judge. How will you settle the dispute? Which of the two ants will you give the right to? The one who saw the crumb first? No, the judge’s pockets must be full of crumbs, and wherever he finds some shortage he must give. Should men quarrel over a crumb, and accuse God of unjust distribution of goods?
Which man is good? Can you call that man good, after the visit of whom your cattle begin to die one after another? Is that a good man if after his coming to your home the fruit trees begin to wither? This man has something egoistic in him. He is not sincere to the hosts whose house he enters. In this respect, he is like that maiden who gives the appearance of not wanting to marry, while at the same time is secretly looking at the young man she is interested in. What will this young man give her if he is not useful to himself? Whoever is not useful to himself cannot be useful to others. To be useful to oneself and to one’s neighbour, that means to be content with life. If he is content with life, he is ready to serve God. God first set the example of service. He served people, raised them up to grow, and thus taught them to serve too. Nevertheless, when they make a man serve, he is dissatisfied, he considers himself the master. Man’s unwillingness to serve is the cause of his suffering. He wants to be happy, to be rich, to enjoy the abundance of life, but to have others work for him. The sheep has made its wool, others have washed it, spun and woven it, but man puts on the finished garments and brings himself before the people. You see someone wearing new clothes, a silk shirt, a white tie, with silver or gold buttons; he walks forward, looking at no one. Why is he wearing a tie? – The tie has some significance which one does not know. The ring on the hand of the young maiden or the young lad also has some significance. It is a symbol of bonding. It is good for man to understand the meaning of things as symbols in which something is hidden.
What is more important for a man: to be well dressed or to be healthy? Health is above all. Man’s health depends on the light of Divine thought. Where there is light, there are goods; as soon as the light disappears, the goods also disappear. Where there is warmth, there is life; as soon as the warmth disappears, death comes. Where there is strength, there is health; when the strength disappears, sickness comes. When a person is healthy, he enjoys all the benefits of life. Light, warmth and strength are means, ways through which the sublime beings manifest themselves and send gifts to men. They give money to one person and a grain of wheat to another. The wise man rejoices at the grain of wheat more than the money. The grain of wheat multiplies and feeds the whole world. If there is wheat, money can buy as much as you want; if there is no wheat, money is worth nothing. Wheat is eaten, but money is not eaten. Money gives nothing of itself, but wheat gives everything, that is why it has become so small. The wheat knows where its strength is. If you cultivate it, you can become a rich man within ten years. It is a small grain of wheat, but it feeds the whole world.
Every bright thought, every bright feeling and every bright deed are like small grains of wheat. They are small, but all-powerful. They bring good to the whole world. When you go to the other world, you will be asked, ‘Are you carrying at least one of the fruits of your mind, heart and will?’ Even the smallest fruits are valued there. If you bring them big things, they will not pay attention to them: big things are not important to them. Someone will say that he wants to become a big, great man. Which man is great? The one who has great opportunities to do good. It is predefined how great a man can be. Man grows gradually as a child, then he comes to a certain age and the growth stops; then he gets smaller again. So, man starts with being small, in the middle of his life he is big, he has grown, and finally he gets small again. These are phases of the same life.
In what lies the value of life? – In the ability to attract good things to oneself. This life is valuable and useful. Which mind is useful? – The one that attracts Divine thoughts. Which heart is useful? – The one that attracts Divine feelings. Which will is useful? – The one that attracts Divine actions. If there is no attraction in life, man can achieve nothing, nor can he do anything useful. Do what rational beings do. You always want to be cheerful. This is not necessary. Cheerfulness implies a clear sky, a clear horizon. If you are cheerful and joyful every day, the sky will always be bright, clear, and there will be drought. If you are sorrowful every day, the sky will always be cloudy, and it will rain all the time. One should know when his sky should be clear and when it should be cloudy.
Strive for bright thoughts, feelings, and actions so that you yourself may be satisfied with your life. Do not expect people to like you and be pleased with you. You must be satisfied with yourself. Only the one who is satisfied with himself, carries the music in his soul. He is satisfied with his singing; he understands which tones are pure and which are not. As long as he understands both his own and others’ mistakes, he is a true musician. For him not only singing is music, but also thinking, feeling and speaking is music. Strive to see music everywhere and apply it. Unless you turn your life into music, you cannot get in touch with Nature and benefit directly from her blessings.
Before man can connect with Nature, he must have connected with his Creator, he must know Him. Someone lives for tens of years on Earth and does not yet know Him. He says as an excuse that he has not seen Him. This is impossible. How can you not know the air and light in which you are immersed? God is Spirit, God is light. Therefore, He is everywhere and in everything, you cannot but know Him. Scientists look for Him in the sky, in the stars – in great things. They do not suspect that He is hiding in small, microscopic things. You will find Him in great things, as well as in small ones – you must know how to search. Some seek Him in the shadows of things, but He is also not there. He is in the real things, not in their shadows. Real is what helps to build your mind, your heart and your soul. Real is what expands your mind, heart and soul. Real is what makes a person content and happy.
So, to be content, always accept the Divine thoughts with good disposition. They are the essential thing in human life, because they are eternal. Avoid temporary things and strive for the eternal ones. For example, money is temporary, light is eternal. Man needs mainly bread, water, air and light, not money. Money comes last, as a result of something. They are servants of eternal things. Therefore, pay no attention to money as a result in human life. Man also needs love. If you have love, money will follow naturally. The one who has no money, has little love. The one who has love will always find a Napoleon coin in his pocket. Love brings life, and life is connected to gold. That is why gold is precious. Strive for the Divine life: that it may pass through you and leave you the precious things it carries within it. Work on yourself to acquire the qualities of gold.
The joy of God is manifested light. The delight of the human soul is also manifested light. ‘God rejoices, man is glad,’ it is said in Scripture.
This is life eternal, that I may know Thee, the only true God and Christ, whom Thou hast sent.
21st lecture given by the Master on August 26, 1942, 5:00 am, Sofia – Izgrev
Translated by Nikolay Nikolov
Source: Устойчиви връзки
