The Good, The Beautiful and the True

2000-7-17 12:00:00

Good to hear from you Samu. Hope you are having a good vacation.

Since the discussion has arisen on Alice A. Bailey, I thought I would let her tell her story in her own words. Below is her account of her first meeting with a Master named Koot Hoomi. Later he turned her over to Djwahl Khul to receive the transmissions essential to laying the foundation teachings for the new age.

It was a Sunday morning. The previous Sunday I had heard a sermon which had aroused all my aspiration. This Sunday, for some reason, I had not gone to Church. All the rest of the house party had gone and there was no one in the house but myself and the servants. I was sitting in the drawing-room reading. The door opened and in walked a tall man dressed in European clothes (very well cut, I remember) but with a turban on his head. He came in and sat down beside me. I was so petrified at the sight of the turban that I could not make a sound or ask what he was doing there. Then he started to talk. He told me there was some work that it was planned that I could do in the world but that it would entail my changing my disposition very considerably; I would have to give up being such an unpleasant little girl and must try and get some measure of self-control. My future usefulness to Him and to the world was dependent upon how I handled myself and the changes I could manage to make. He said that if I could achieve real self-control I could then be trusted and that I would travel all over the world and visit many countries, "doing your Master's work all the time." Those words have rung in my ears ever since. He emphasized that it all depended upon me and what I could do and should do immediately. He added that He would be in touch with me at intervals of several years apart.

The interview was very brief. I said nothing but simply listened whilst He talked quite emphatically. Having said what He had come to say, He got up and walked out, after pausing at the door for a minute to give me a look which to this day I remember very distinctly. I did not know what to make of it all. When I had recovered from the shock, I was first frightened and thought I was going insane or had been to sleep and dreaming and then I reacted to a feeling of smug satisfaction. I felt that I was like Joan of Arc (at that time my heroine) and that, like her, I was seeing spiritual visions and was consequently set aside for a great work. What it was I could not imagine, but pictured myself as the dramatic and admired teacher of thousands. This is a very common mistake on the part of beginners and I see a lot of it today in connection with various occult groups. People's sincerity and aspiration do succeed in bringing them some inner, spiritual contact and they then interpret it in terms of personality success and importance. A reaction of over-stimulation. This reaction was succeeded by one in which the criticism He had made of me became uppermost in my mind. I decided that maybe after all I was not in the class of Joan of Arc but simply some one who could be nicer than I had been and who could begin to control a rather violent temper. This I started to do. I tried not to be so cross and to control my tongue and for some time became so objectionably good that my family got disturbed; they wondered if I was ill and almost begged me to resume my explosive displays. I was smug and sweet and sentimental.

As the years went by I found that at seven years intervals (until I was thirty-five) I had indications of the supervision and interest of this individual. Then in 1915 I discovered who He was and that other people know Him. From then on the relationship has become closer and closer until today I can, at will, contact Him. This willingness to be contacted on the part of a Master is only possible when a disciple is also willing never to avail himself of the opportunity except in moments of real emergency in world service.

I found that this visitor was the Master K. H., the Master Koot Hoomi, a Master Who is very close to the Christ, Who is on the teaching line and Who is an outstanding exponent of the love-wisdom of which the Christ is the full expression. The real value of this experience is not to be found in the fact that I, a young girl called Alice La Trobe-Bateman, had an interview with a Master but in the fact that knowing nothing whatsoever of Their existence, I met one of Them and that He talked with me. The value is to be found also in the fact that everything that He told me came true (after I had tried hard to meet requirements) and because I discovered that He was not the Master Jesus, as I had naturally supposed, but a Master of Whom I could not possibly have heard and one Who was totally unknown to me. Anyway, the Master K. H. is my Master, beloved and real. I have worked for Him ever since I was fifteen years old and I am now one of the senior disciples in His group, or?as it is called esoterically? in His Ashram.

JJ
Thus we see that the Masters she worked with were not a dream or from her subconscious, but individuals residing in physical bodies like ourselves, but with the subtle difference that they are hundreds of years old yet still perpetuate their youth.

Larry asks for a definition of metaphysics. John gave an interesting mystical view of the word. Simply put for my use it is physics of the mind. In other words, a scientific approach to thinking and philosophy as opposed to a feeling, often illogical, approach to truth as it exists in many religions. Unfortunately, many religious people believe that a logical approach to the spiritual is misleading or even evil, but as we have shown by the use of the word "faith" in the days of Jesus, that evidence is a key ingredient in the pursuit of truth.

Question:
Can one put his prime attention on that which is true and yet still use the process of elimination as an aid in discovery?

Answer:
A definite yes on this one. As my food analogy illustrated, one is not oblivious to bad food when he is expecting a good meal.

When one looks for the good as a primary focus of discovery, he will in the process come across a number of items which stand out as obviously false. When a real falsehood is discovered then the seeker can use this fact as one of the items in his process of elimination.

In looking for truth you may discover that 1+1 = 2 and in the process realize that the guy claiming that 1+1=3 is not correct. Now that you have proven this to yourself you can eliminate consideration of this falsehood unless some new light comes to view.

Question:
How does the lack of understanding of this principle of looking for truth, instead of error, cause mainstream religious people to not see any truth in the world of metaphysics?

We received some great answers on this from Gloria, Larry and the oneness version of our friend Saul. These are all good food for thought and stimulation.

Let me give a few additional thoughts on the matter.

This is an extremely important principle in the search for the truth. In some ways it may be THE most important of all.

Why?

Because in this world there lies before us at all times two paths. Path one leads to truth and the real world. Path two leads to illusion and deception. Each decision that we make takes us in the direction of one of these paths.

Visualize yourself on a path that divides. The left hand path leads to deception and the right hand leads to truth. Where are you likely to find the most truth? Taking the left hand path and discovering everything that is false, or taking the right hand path and discovering truth after truth. Which path leads to the greater progress?

The answer should be obvious.

When one puts his attention on seeing that which is true he is taking the inner right hand path. His attention on that which is true moves him in the direction of this path and moves him forward on it to truth after truth, greater light after greater light.

When one puts his attention on looking for error this attention on error moves him toward the left hand path, and as he moves along this path he sees error after error and rarely has any observation of new truth to report.

Take me as a teacher as an example. Many have come to this forum with a focus on finding truth and despite my weakness in presentation and limited grasp of higher realities, these individuals have discovered truth after truth for themselves. There have been times that members have found truth in my words that I did not realize was there.

Then there are others who join that just seem to have the feeling that something is wrong somewhere. Some feel I am in this for the money, the ego or just sincere, but deluded. Instead, then of looking for truth in my words, they look for wrong motive, ego or deceit. The problem is that we usually find evidence to prove that of which we have a preconceived notion to believe.

If, therefore, one suspects I am motivated by ego and decides to look for evidence of that conclusion he will find his evidence. The evidence may be a reflection of his own ego, but he will find it nevertheless.

Take the life of Jesus for example. He was an innocent and virtuous man, yet the Jewish leaders immediately suspected that he was in league with the devil since his teachings did not agree with their preconceived notions. Therefore, when they looked upon his words and acts what did they look for? Did they look for truth or error.

Of course, we all know that they looked for error.

And what did they find?

The amazing thing is that even with a holy man such as Jesus these individuals found only error. And thus they saw the face of the devil in the face of Christ.

If looking for error caused them of old to see the face of the devil in the face of Christ, then ought we not learn a lesson from their mistake? For if we ourselves make the same mistake of letting our prime focus be the discovery of error then would we not also see the face of evil in Christ if he were to walk among us again?

Can you think of a worse fate for yourself than to die an enemy to Christ while thinking you were fighting evil?

The interesting thing is that many who make this mistake of looking for evil are fairly decent people, sincere in their search for truth. But as they progress along this left hand path, the time will come that their mistake becomes obvious and when this time of reckoning does come, the pilgrim must then retrace his steps and tread the higher path. If he refuses because of pride, selfishness or ego then he becomes a willing accomplice in treading the path of deception and taking others along with him.

I therefore admonish all true seekers who read these words, to walk the path of light by seeking the light and looking for the light.

Glenys appropriately quoted Saul on this principle:
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Phil 4:8

Notice that Saul advises: "think on these things."

Yes, my friends, "think on" and see the good, the beautiful and the true and you shall become a magnet for these things and shall draw truth, pure as the driven snow into your life experience and the light that is in you will be great so no darkness or deception can there abide.

Question: H. P. Blavatsky and Alice A. Bailey were two controversial teachers who many believe to be in league with the devil. Let us suppose, for the sake of argument, that half of what they teach is not true. If this were the case would it not be better to look for the error so you will not be deceived? OR - is there still an advantage to look for truth as the prime point of focus? If the latter question is true - why is it true?