2001-7-14 16:24:00
JJ:
I should have looked at your animation of the symbol, Rick. I was seeing the "L" as using the line on the left, but when you see it using the middle line then there are no missing lines. That which is most simplistic and conservative in form and energy is generally the most correct. So, I think you have seen the "L U X" as it was intended to be seen. You are to be commended.
Rick writes:
"I don't know. I thought it was just the current topic. I didn't know there was going to be a test. Maybe e-mail isn't the best way to study this stuff. The more I study, the dumber I get. I felt so lost, today, I was ready for a long walk off a short pier."
JJ:
This happens to all of his [AAB/DK] readers on a regular basis and I have felt this way before several times, but then I came across some advice he gave for those who
study his material and sometimes feel lost. I do not have the exact quote so I will paraphrase.
He said basically that many students will have periods where they will feel lost or that his writings are beyond them or there seem to be paradoxes that do
not make sense. He then tells the student that even if he does not feel like he is getting anything out of the writings to proceed ahead anyway -- that the
material will become imbedded in your subconscious and eventually if one continues in this study that the pieces will begin to fit together and understanding
will come.
When I first stated reading Alice A. Bailey I had no background in Theosophy or Hindu [Buddhist]
thought or terms at all and knew of no other person who had even heard of her books. It was like jumping into a foreign world, but I saw a great intelligence there
that kept me plodding along. At that time I would have really appreciated a class such as we are having now.
Here is a combination of his advice mixed with my own in studying the writings.
The first time you read the books do not worry about absorbing them all. Do try and get the vocabulary down and then read all the books on a leisurely basis for
your enjoyment. When you come across material too deep for your understanding, read on anyway. When you come across something you do not agree with, put it on
the shelf, but read on without worrying about taking it all in.
Then the second time you read the books read more as a student taking notes and marking important points.
The third time you read the books you must proceed quite differently. This is what you must do. Each time you read a page you should rewrite it in your own
words according to your own understanding. You can do this in outline form or as a letter to yourself. If there is a paragraph you do not understand then keep
reading it over until you either understand it, or realize that you cannot understand it in the present.
If you understand the difficult paragraph then write your thoughts on it. If you do not understand it then put this item in a category called
"The Shelf" or something similar. Then after you have gone through all the books using this method you can return to The Shelf and find that many
items you thought you did not understand, you will now understand.
This will be a labor of love that will take you ten years or more to do it right and I must admit that I have not finished the third wave of study myself.
I would love to have time to do this, but because I am so busy at present about the only reading I get done (outside of the mailing lists and newspaper) is
listening to tapes or have my computer read to me while I work. Right now my free time is more wisely spent in sharing the knowledge I have in an easy to
understand format than progression in my own personal studies.
But in a way there is no such thing as sacrifice because I find that for every hour of personal advancement in knowledge I sacrifice, that fourfold is given me
by other means.
One thing I find interesting about the Alice A. Bailey books is that the actual number of sales of her books are very low, especially when compared to best
sellers such as the "Celestine Prophecy" or "Conversations with God." And then among the books that are sold few are read because of their
complexity. This is an interesting statement concerning the state of humanity, that the most advanced writings for public consumption on the planet, directly
read by the people, are rarely consumed. Even so their effect has been great, for the few that have studied them have promoted many of the concepts and few
there are who have not been indirectly affected by the words of Djwahl Khul.
Now some who have not made a thorough study of Alice A. Bailey (AAB) think that I have just studied her writings and paraphrased them as my own material, but
such is not the case. Long time students of AAB such as Glenys and Anni realize this much more than the beginning students. I owe a large debt to the Bailey
writings and usually give acknowledgement where a direct quote or borrowing is made. No writer, however, can give credit to every source he uses or it would
make the writings very awkward to wade through. Djwahl Khul himself often repeats concepts from "The Secret Doctrine" and Hindu and Buddhist thought
he has borrowed from without giving a reference each time, but when an important borrowing or quote takes place he does give a reference. This is a common
sense middle ground that I also attempt to incorporate.
Now, on the other hand, many of the teachings I have given out have been either new, or a new slant on the old, and cannot be found in any book. This is what
the student must look for in any teacher who works through the soul.
Many teachers there are who take the writings of Djwahl Khul and merely put them in their own words and claim them as their own without making an original
contribution of their own. Their students do not realize that they would be much better off to merely go to Alice A. Bailey and read for themselves.
On the other hand, there are also sincere teachers who teach from the Ancient Wisdom and give proper credit and do assist others along their path. These are
to be commended.
It is always a big temptation for the beginning server to create the illusion that his borrowed material is his own so his ego will be fed by the praise and
adoration of his students.
I am eternally grateful for the knowledge I have gained from great teachers in the past and I have to admit that the Christian scriptures are at the top of
the heap, along with DK (Djwahl Khul) for me. I do always attempt to give credit where possible. As for the teachings I give out that are found in no earthly
book I just give the credit to God. This covers all higher sources and I am required to give no more at present.
Now let us go through the three questions that created a problem for Rick:
1. Do you feel you have reached the stage wherein you can eliminate the meditation form as you now have it?
Rick's comment:
"I don't even understand the form I now have."
JJ:
You have to realize here that Djwahl Khul is accustomed to teaching monks and those of eastern thought who are attempting to reach Nirvana by releasing
themselves from all attachment. Many in the West also are picking up on this train of thought.
Many in the East and West need to shift the focus of their meditation technique from formlessness to form if they want to make maximum progress.
What he is really asking here is something like this:
Are you so attached to your meditation on non-attachment that you cannot let go of it and try something else?
If you are attached to non attachment then you are not truly detached, are you?
As to what form of meditation Rick and others have now; Djwahl Khul points out that all intelligent people use some form of meditation naturally, whether they
are aware of it or not. I know for sure, from my knowledge of Rick, that he does indeed meditate according to the Tibetan's perameters of the term. In fact he
is one of the most prolific meditators in the group. It is obvious that his recent discovery of the L U X was due to occult meditation.
Rick continues in response to the following instructions:
"Enter with relative facility into the state of contemplation."
Rick:
"I thought I already was contemplating. I'm still not very clear on what is the difference between meditation and contemplation."
"Recognize the vibration of your own soul."
Rick:
"I haven't a clue."
Assignment:
Let us throw the answer here to the wisdom of the group.
Has Rick already been engaged in contemplation? Is there a difference between meditation and contemplation or is contemplation a form of meditation?
How does one recognize the vibration of one's own soul?
We'll continue exploring Rick's questions as we move ahead.
Copyright © 2001 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved