Significance of Ethical Life

by Ingo G. Muller

It is to become more receptive to Spiritual Influences that we have to observe ethical rules of life which help us in our efforts to transcend the plane of thoughts.

If we are anxious to keep to Ahimsa in our actions, words and in our thoughts too, we have to avoid reacting offendedly or aggressively to reproaches, accusations or deeds of other persons we have to bear in an apparently unjustified manner. Our conscious efforts to hurt no one make us more generous towards our fellow men. Then, it is easier for us to keep our mind and intellect in a right perspective in relation to other persons, things and circumstances. This will enable us to gather our minds from the many things in our meditations. Therefore, pro-vocations, insults – affronts –, violent attacks. loss of property caused by other persons etc. are no valid excuses for transgressing the commandment of Ahimsa. Only friendly, polite and smooth words are allowed to be spoken. If we give room only to benevolent thoughts and feelings in our consciousness, we cannot consciously speak harsh words or do deeds to injure anyone. For benevolent thoughts can only be followed by benevolent words and deeds. If we cannot keep to those small mysteries, how can we ever hope to be worthy of becoming initiated into higher ones? When we are affected by wrong deeds or words of others we should consider:

What a man sows, he shall reap.

St Paul

You cannot reap what you had not sown, and as you will plant a tree, so it will grow. Whatever deed a man commits, whatever his attitude of mind he must get its reward in a respective body.

Manu

Our Master will see and tell us, whether our self-adoration has already died or not, and how deeply humility and Love have taken roots within us. Those apparently unkind events are, therefore, only reactions, trials or examinations. They do contribute to our resistance and sustaining power. Finally, they let us become riper. Whatever karma He lets come up to us, it is only for our best.

Truthfulness is another important, ethical rule of life. The Master says that we should always pause to consider whether what we do think and speak is true and corresponds to reality. Our deeds ought to be true and natural. We should scrutinise our attitude towards our environment with all its transitoriness and should adjust anew to our own goal reaching the Radiant Form of the Satguru and Spiritual Perfection.

In the same way we should be watchful in our conduct of life concerning chastity. In this sphere, the Master recommends great moderation. By this restriction, the saps of the body can be sublimated and changed into concentration-power being helpful in our meditations. By beautiful bodily forms and figures we should not be dazzled or seduced to impure desires. We are incarnated within the body to learn dying before death. By thoughts and words of purity we awaken and strengthen the same attitude of life within our fellow men. We also reach by this purity of thought persons with impure desires and intentions keep away from us. They don’t feel well in our presence, as they cannot realise their wishes. This automatic effect makes it easy for us to choose the right society.

The Master says:

Love is the master-key to open the Kingdom of Light.

This sentence shows the significance of selfless Love. The more we are anxious to express pure and selfless Love without any enthusiasm – fanaticism – or sentimentality in our thoughts, words and deeds, the more all human narrow-minded attitude will leave us. Our very nature becomes interweaved by those fine thought-vibrations. When our being is radiated by fine Love, it calls the same thoughts in other persons, with whom we have contact. For thoughts are things, they are bodies; they are just so real as Light and warmth. Figuratively we can compare the radiation of our thoughts with fragrance pouring from a flower or with the light-waves of a shining body. The form of our thoughts is like a fine smoke, the density and colour of which change. Every thought has a corresponding vibration which extends unlimitedly and creates the same vibrations within other like-minded persons. The more we think vividly and intensely with a positive attitude, the finer, but also the more powerful are the vibrations we produce. Such powerful thoughts can enter the consciousness of a person to whom we send such positive thoughts and can loosen a positive reaction. Thoughts have enormous powers which can be a helpful means or also a barrier for our progress on the Spiritual Path. On the other hand, the vibrations of pessimistic thoughts are much lower. They have the property of holding fast negative circumstances, while positive thoughts can lead us out of negative conditions and circumstances. Therefore, it is important, that we foster only salutary thoughts, for only with that kind of thoughts we can contribute to come out of our present karmic situation which we had created by our immature thinking.

Thoughts are fine-material forms created by us, which by maintaining them are inclined to realise the order they carry with them. The instinct of self-preservation demands from us to produce always new like-minded thoughts and reveals itself within our consciousness as force of habit. This coercion can be overcome by our volition, perseverance and endurance for these forms of thoughts have to die, i.e. to dissolve, when they receive no further energy in consequence of our self-discipline. Without this, if we don’t keep to iron self-discipline, those forms of thoughts draw thought-forms of the same kind, conglomerate and amalgamate with them. Then, the resulting potentials of power effect the happening of corresponding conditions and situations, the cause of which we mostly can no more know, but it is only to be found within us. Thus, we can also have mighty helpers in our thoughts working always for us. It is clear, that we ought not only be anxious to send out such thoughts as correspond to the ethical rules, but also accept only such thoughts from the thought-ocean, in which we are living.

The thought-form of a desire coming from our deepest heart forms an unseen magic band, that brings us into connection with that which we wished.

The Master says:

If Love is strong enough, it has the power to draw the Beloved to us.

Steadiness and intensity of the desire and the purity of the motive which produced this desire are prerequisites for Spiritual Success. Moreover, our daily life must correspond to that desire, as we otherwise block its realisation by egoistically coloured thoughts, words or deeds.

Thus, a life of selfless service offers an opportunity of great blessings for us. Even if we had made innumerable mistakes, we had not to suffer for ever, because these cannot be infinite punishment for finite actions. For action and reaction must always correspond to each other. Let us, then, realise how important it is, that we pay off our old karmas by selfless service to the Satguru in a sense of loving devotion.

In this way, we can make ourselves receptive to the Power and Love which the Godman radiates in abundance. This Love is like the rain falling on the whole ground, but working only, where the soil had become receptive by hard work. There may be some situations in which it may be difficult for us to serve selflessly. But in such moments it is best to subordinate our intellect to the wisdom of the Satguru. Our intellect is not able to understand and grasp all things. It is an instrument bound to the rough material organ – brain. It helps us to fulfil our worldly tasks.

The purpose of observing all these ethical prescriptions is that it becomes easier for us in our meditations to keep our attention to the eye-focus. We must be anxious to keep to the commandments during our worldly work, for only then we become able to separate from our small ego with its requirements and imaginations during the short time of our Spiritual Work and to exercise seeing with full attention and a pure, Holy Desire. The Light is already there, but our attention wanders still around because of our lack of self-discipline. The Beloved is sitting within us and waits that our mind becomes clean.

But even if we have reached complete, absolute direction of our whole being to Him, that means, that we are fully and wholly at His disposal, we still need His Grace for His revelation in His Radiant Form. This Grace cannot be demanded or compelled, but can only be expected with humility and showing confidence.