June 12, 1999
Discipleship Revealed
It is interesting that Jesus told his disciples that they loved Him because He loved them first. In other words, He did not pick a bunch that was brimming with love, but His own sharing caused the love within all but one to respond, even to the giving of their lives for their friend.
The qualities of a good and decent person with a loving heart are many and are reasonably easy to recognize, but the qualities looked for in a working disciple are not so obvious. The Christ, and the Masters with whom He works, look for a number of qualities that do not even occur to the idealistic devotee.
The general qualities of goodness is a mere first step to prepare the aspirant for the path of real learning and service on the Path.
Such preparatory qualities are
A Loving nature
Compassion
Faith
Honesty
Sincerity
Helpfulness
Diligence
Responsible
Humility
Reverence
Harmonious etc.
These and other qualities, as most people understand them, are a part of a large first step of preparation. On the other hand, the Masters do see some of these “simple” qualities on a deeper level than we do and they see that accepted disciples use them in a way that exceeds the beginner.
For example, an aspirant may have the faith to undertake a great feat of learning
But the disciple may have the faith to apply the things learned, which is a greater accomplishment.
The aspirant may be a big believer in love
The disciple manifests and stimulates love.
The aspirant believes and teaches helpfulness
The disciple is busy actively helping
So what is looked for in a working disciple – that is a person that a Master can assist and work through with a degree of success?
We have stated the first main quality which is:
Soul contact.
What is the second?
The phrase that best describes this second quality was used regularly by Alice A. Bailey as the ability to “keep the mind held steady in the light.”
The mind is the key that opens the door between the human kingdom and the kingdom of God. This is knowledge that needs to be registered by the seekers of the world who think that “all you need is love.”
Love is indeed a key, but it is the key to the correct use and influence of the mind. Thus love unlocks the correct use of mind and mind held steady in the light unlocks the door to the Kingdom of God and accepted discipleship.
We have all played with a magnifying glass. You can take the harmless rays of the sun and focus them through the glass on a piece of paper, and if you hold the glass steady at the right distance so focus is sustained then it will soon create fire.
The mind and the light of the Spirit are like this. The “universal Light” of the Spirit is always there like the sun at noonday and the mind is like a magnifying glass that captures this seemingly normal light and focuses it through purity and steadiness of intent until the spiritual fire is manifest.
The beginner seems to focus at random and creates a little fire from time to time. But slowly over a long period of trial and error the seeker learns to hold the mind steady so the light stays in focus at all times. Finally at this time the spiritual fire burns consistently, and this is what the higher lives look for. When they see your spiritual fire always there, always burning, always neutralizing negativity, illusion and high resistance of the lower worlds, then they realize that a new co-worker is in the making.
Holding your mind steady in the light creates a fire that burns a hole in the veil of the temple and thus “the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom” (Matt 27:51) thus allowing the disciple to enter into the Holy of Holies or the Kingdom of God.
By contrast the Dark Brothers enter the world of lower mind not through the door of love but through desire and glamour. Because they are then caught in illusion they use their magnifying glass of mind to focus the dark into a black hole of the mind that is so powerful in its gravity that no light can manifest.
This is part of the meaning of the comment of Jesus:
“But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matt 6:23
Alice A. Bailey has written quite a bit about this principle. Here are some quotes
“I would suggest that you concentrate upon “holding the mind steady in the light.” This will involve renewed work in alignment, and in the conscious refocusing of the mind towards reality. It is the activity of the inner, conscious man which ceaselessly turns its attention to the soul, seeking identification with that soul. The alignment usually carried forward is that of the personality with the soul.
Can I hold my mind “steady in the light” and see life truly and free from any blinding attachments?
“Can I hold my mind steady in the light which streams from the Observer? Can I hold it as the searchlight of the soul?”
“Receptiveness to spiritual impression. This entails the awakening of an intelligent use of the intuition, plus the capacity to hold the mind steady in the light whilst the brain is quiescently ready to record that “descending knowledge.”
“Through concentration and meditation he has achieved a large measure of mind control and learned how “to hold the mind steady in the light.” The consciousness then slips out of the lower self (out of the realm of awareness of the brain and the mind) and the mystic passes into the contemplative state, wherein he functions as the soul, and realizes himself as a Knower. The nature of the soul is knowledge and light, and its realm of existence is the kingdom of God. All the time that this identification with the soul continues, the mind is held steady and refuses all response to contacts emanating from other states of awareness, such as those coming from the emotional and physical worlds. Absorbed in union with God, transported into the “Third Heaven” (like St. Paul) and contemplating the beatific vision of Reality, he knows nothing, sees nothing, hears nothing except the phenomena which are appropriate to the world in which he is living. But in that world, he hears, and sees, and knows; he becomes aware of Truth, unveiled and freed from the glamour which the veil of matter casts upon it; he listens to the Wisdom which is stored up in his own unfathomable soul, and is that Wisdom itself, for subject and object no longer exist for him: he is both and knows it. He enters into the Mind of God – that universal storehouse of knowledge whose door stands ever open to those individual minds which can be sufficiently quieted and controlled to permit of their visioning the door and passing through it. And still, throughout all this transcendental process, the mind has been held steady in the Light.
“Thus we have the mind focussed and used to its utmost capacity, and then the cessation of its work. Next comes the use of the will to hold the mind steady in the light, and then – the Vision, Enlightenment, Illumination!
“Only as the disciple learns to hold his mind “steady in the light,” and as the rays of pure light stream forth from the soul, can the glamour be discovered, discerned, recognised for what it essentially is and thus be made to disappear, as the mists of earth dissolve in the rays of the rising sun. Therefore I would counsel you to pay more adequate attention to your meditation, cultivating ever the ability to reflect and to assume the attitude of reflection-held steady throughout the day.”
The third quality in order of importance has not been mentioned yet.
Let me repeat the hint:
“The closest someone came to the second characteristic is open mindedness. One also has to have a good handle on maya and glamour – without this characteristic the disciple will be reluctant to backtrack when he has made a mistake or take a wrong turn.”
We are looking for a key word here. What is it?
June 13, 1999
Detachment
Jay gave a hint to the third trait and answered it also.
The hint was: : “The ability to let go of outdated beliefs and thought patterns.”
Jay’s answer:
“Perhaps Non Attachment, the ability not to cling to thought patterns, to release old ways of thinking and behaving. Not to Attach to the ways of the ego.”
Close enough. The word was actually “detachment,” but non attachment means the same thing.
Detachment, like any other characteristic has a positive and negative side. It would be wrong to be so detached from your spouse and children that you could not feel love for them, for example.
On the other hand, if the disciple is so attached to his family that he is not willing to risk a little resistance to accomplish a work then he may not be a usable vessel.
Let us look at detachment in the positive aspect and tell us exactly what this quality is and why this it is so important in the eyes of the Masters.
A working disciple must be versatile through detachment for several reasons.
First he may receive a message that will completely change his direction and personal plans at any given moment. If he is attached to those plans and directions then he may reject or alter important higher instructions necessary to the work.
Secondly, he may make some personal mistakes that need to be corrected in order to complete the mission. If he is attached to being right or to his way of doing things then the mission may fail.
Thirdly, the disciple may receive knowledge that may contradict things he has believed all his life. If he is attached to his old beliefs then he may not be usable as a student or teacher.
Attachment is a very misunderstood concept and is often mistaken for virtue. For instance, an attachment of one person toward another is often called love, and this is the only version of love that many people understand. But it is not love, it is attachment, a desire to hold on to a thing or person. True love always involves a desire to serve and to help or enhance, not just a desire to hold on because of a desire to possess.
There will be many times that the working disciple will have to use the power of detachment. He must realize that he is not his body, not his feelings and not even his mind and stand back and watch these feelings and thoughts brood and move, yet make his decisions in the light of the soul without attachments to thoughts and feelings of his lower bodies.
Here are the three qualities we have named so far.
(1) Soul contact
(2) Holding the mind steady in the light
(3) Detachment when necessary.
Now let me name three more important qualities and the group can bring forth their wisdom and explain why the Masters need these qualities in a working disciple.
(4) The ability to either send or receive, to be either a teacher or a student as the situation demands. How are many people in illusion about this quality?
(5) The habit of reflecting daily, hourly, weekly on the results of the work and teachings and ways to make improvements.
(6) The possession of talents and abilities that will give him or her power to get the attention of the people and influence them in a positive direction.
Contemplating these additional three qualities should give some good food for thought.
Copyright by J J Dewey
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