Spiritual Teachers

"Two signs of the authenticity of the Teaching are: first, striving for the Common Weal; second, acceptance of all previous Teachings which are congruous with the first sign."

"There is no worse occupation than forcible imposition of one’s creed. 334."

"Instead of stock market speculation let there be striving for discoveries, supported by cooperative societies. 169."

"If we begin to break matter down into its constituents, we see that the atoms liberated start to arrange themselves according to their basic tone and, passing into the ether, form a rainbow that sounds like the music of the spheres. If an entire planet decomposes into its parts, then of course a rainbow will result. This can be observed whenever visible matter decomposes."

"Our Ray sends out myriads of purified atoms that enwrap a person if there is no astral whirlwind around him. This is the foundation for calmness of spirit, for without it the residue of karma will obscure what is being sent. The lower spirits tear away at the Ray like monkeys, ripping up the precious fabric without any benefit to themselves, since the atoms of matter are useless for agitated shells. One should keep this in mind when uniting the spirit with the Infinite in prayer. 308."

"You are sure to encounter a certain kind of person who flies into a frenzy at the mere mention of the Masters. Such people are ready to put their trust in any shameless stock market speculation, they are ready to believe in any swindle, but for them the idea of the Common Good is inadmissible. Gaze into the pupils of such people’s eyes, and you will find a restless shadow. They will not be able to stand your gaze for long. These people are secret dugpas. Often they are more dangerous than their colleagues who openly practice black magic... If you brought these seemingly well-meaning people to the very edge of Our Abode, they would declare that they were seeing a mirage. It might seem that this is all due to ignorance, but the real reason is far worse. Beware of them! Most of all, protect the children. These people are the cause of many of the disorders that children suffer. They manage to get into schools. Historical fact and the law of knowledge do not exist for them. 340."

"Also let us not forget that realization is simplified through clear consciousness. But let us not lose the shortest Path. Time is precious. We should not deprive anyone because of our sluggishness. Laziness and ignorance sleep in the same cradle. 6"

"In the name of Christ great crimes have been committed. Therefore, Christ nowadays clothes Himself in other garments. One must discard all the exaggerations. We are not speaking of slightly embellished works only, as even through the volumes of Origen corrections were slipped in. Therefore, it is time to change conditions in the world."

"...believe me when I say that your two letters and especially "The Evolution of Man" is simply superb. Do not fear any contradictions or inconsistencies. 302."

"In ancient times, the face of the person communicating the commands of God was covered. Later people tried to overcome matter by proclaiming the existence of powers they had not really mastered. Of course, this gave rise to the Inquisition. The essence of an inquisition is persecution of the unusual."

"Yet it cannot be a question with him what the visible Sinnett may be -- what his impulses, his failures or successes in his world, his diminished or undiminished regard for him. With the "visible" one we have nothing to do. It is to us only a veil that hides from profane eyes that other ego with whose evolution we are concerned. In the external rupa do what you like, think what you like: only when the effects of that voluntary action are seen on the body of our correspondent—is it incumbent upon us to notice it."

"Time is no object with me."

"I could and had no right to influence you any way—precisely because you are no chela. It was a trial, a very little one, tho' it seemed important enough to you to make you think of 'wife and child's interests. You will have many such; for though you should never be a chela, still we do not give confidences even to correspondents and "proteges" whose discretion and moral pluck have not been well tested. You are the victim of Maya. It will be a long struggle for you to tear away the 'cataracts' and see things as they are. 260."

"Let miracles exist only in the consciousness of the few, those who are able to catch a glance of the Infinite."

"There were not four but FIVE races; and we are that fifth the remnant of the fourth. (A more perfect evolution or race with each mahacyclic round); while the first race appeared on earth not half a million of years ago (Fiske's theory)—^but several millions. The latest scientific theory is that of the German and American professors who say through Fiske — we see man living on the earth for perhaps half a million years to all intents and purposes dumb. He is both right and wrong. Right about the race having been "dumb" for long ages of silence were required, for the evolution and mutual comprehension of speech, from the moans and mutterings from the first remove of man above the highest anthropoids (a race now extinct since " nature shuts the door behind her" as she advances, in more than one sense)—up to the first monosyllable uttering man. But he is wrong in saying all the rest."

"One of the special projects on which Master KH is at present engaged, in close collaboration with the Masters Morya and Jesus, is to find a basis for the synthesis of Eastern and Western religious thought, with the objective of eventually developing the One World Religion, which will serve as the common bond for the unification of humanity."

"Correctly conceived nothing in nature springs into existence suddenly all being subjected to the same law of gradual evolution. Realize but once the process of the maha cycle, of one sphere and you have realized them all. One man is born like another man, one race evolves, develops and declines like another and all other races. Nature follows the same groove from the "creation" of a universe down to that of a mosquito. In studying esoteric cosmogony, keep a spiritual eye upon the physiological process of human birth; proceed from cause to effect establishing (2) ..... along analogies between the..... [2 The original letter has a small portion missing at this point, hence the incompleteness...—Ed.]"

"One of the best known names in esoteric circles is probably that of the Master Koot Hoomi, often abbreviated to the initials KH. He is alleged to appear at times in a physical body in a secluded and quiet little village... hidden away in the Himalayan mountains. This village is also the physical retreat for several other Masters temporarily functioning in the human community. KH is described as a tall and noble man, but not heavily built, fair of complexion, with deep blue eyes, pouring out love and wisdom; His hair and beard are a golden brown."

"Although Mr. Krishnamurti puts this book before the world, the words which it contains are almost entirely those of the Master Kuthumi. “These are not my words,” the author says in his Foreword; “they are the words of the Master who taught me.” When the book was written, Mr. Krishnamurti's body was thirteen years old, and it was necessary for the Master's plans that the knowledge requisite for Initiation should be conveyed to him as quickly as possible. The words contained in the book are those in which the Master tried to convey the whole essence of the necessary teaching in the simplest and briefest form. The story of how this little book came to be written is comparatively simple. Every night I had to take this boy in his astral body to the house of the Master, that instruction might be given him. The Master devoted perhaps fifteen minutes each night to talking to him, but at the end of each talk He always gathered up the main points of what He had said into a single sentence, or a few sentences, thus making an easy little summary which was repeated to the boy, so that he learnt it by heart. He remembered that summary in the morning and wrote it down."

"He received His initiate training in a Kashmiri body, but also received a sound Western education at a British university."

"The evolution of the worlds cannot be considered apart from the evolution of everything created."

"At the foundation of evolution lies striving to true cooperation. The path of ignorance can be wiped away only by the awakening of creativity. Though the forms it takes may even be monstrous, though people may attempt to make a backyard fire of woodchips into something as bright as the sun, the seething stream of creativity will break through the walls of matter all the same."

"From time to time the Master Kuthumi rides on a big bay horse, and occasionally, when Their work lies together, He is accompanied by the Master Morya, who always rides a magnificent white horse. Our Master regularly visits some of the monasteries, and sometimes goes up a great pass to a lonely monastery in the hills. Riding in the course of His duties seems to be His principal exercise, but He sometimes walks with the Master Djwal Kul, who lives in a little cabin which He built with His own hands, quite near to the great crag on the way up to the plateau."

"Sometimes our Master plays on the organ which is in the large room in His house. He had it made in Tibet under His direction, and it is in fact a combined piano and organ, with a keyboard like those which we have in the West, on which He can play all our western music. It is unlike any other instrument with which I am acquainted, for it is in a sense double-fronted, as it can be played either from the sitting-room or the library...."

"New discoveries will stimulate the process of collecting knowledge."

"Every morning a number of people-- not exactly pupils, but followers-- come to the Master' s house, and sit on the veranda and outside it. Sometimes He gives them a little talk-- a sort of lecturette; but more often He goes on with His work and takes no notice of them beyond a friendly smile, with which they seem equally contented. They evidently come to sit in His aura and venerate Him. Sometimes He takes His food in their presence, sitting on the veranda, with this crowd of Tibetans and others on the ground around Him; but generally He eats by Himself at a table in His room."

"Of the Master's (Kuthumi) family I know but little. There is a lady, evidently a pupil, whom He calls ` sister' . Whether she is actually His sister or not I do not know; she might possibly be a cousin or a niece. She looks much older than He, but that would not make the relationship improbable, as He has appeared of about the same age for a long time. She resembles Him to a certain extent, and once or twice when there have been gatherings she has come and joined the party; though her principal work seems to be to look after the house-keeping...==See also=="

"The Master has a large garden of His own. He possesses, too, a quantity of land, and employs labourers to cultivate it. Near the house there are flowering shrubs and masses of flowers growing freely, with ferns among them. Through the garden there flows a streamlet; which forms a little waterfall, and over it a tiny bridge is built. Here He often sits when He is sending out streams of thought and benediction upon His people; it would no doubt appear to the casual observer as though He were sitting idly watching Nature, and listening heedlessly to the song of the birds, and to the splash and tumble of the water."

"Sometimes, too, He rests in His great armchair, and when His people see Him thus, they know that He must not be disturbed; they do not know exactly what He is doing, but suppose Him to be in samadhi. The fact that people in the East understand this kind of meditation and respect it may be one of the reasons why the Adepts prefer to live there rather than in the West."

"In this way we get the effect of the Master sitting quietly for a considerable part of the day and, as we should say, meditating; but while He is apparently resting so calmly, He is in reality engaged all the time in most strenuous labour on higher planes, manipulating various natural forces and pouring forth influences of the most diverse character on thousands of souls simultaneously; for the Adepts are the busiest people in the world. The Master, however, does much physical-plane work as well; He has composed some music, and has written notes and papers for various purposes. He is also much interested in the growth of physical science, although this is especially the province of one of the other great Masters of the Wisdom."

"He generally wears white clothes, but I do not remember ever having seen Him wearing a head-dress of any kind, except on the rare occasions when He assumes the yellow robe of the Gelugpa sect or clan, which includes a hood somewhat of the shape of the Roman helmet."

"The Master Kuthumi Himself once said smilingly, when some one spoke of the enormous change that the Theosophical knowledge had made in our lives, and of the wonderful comprehensiveness of the doctrine of reincarnation: “Yes, but we have lifted only a very small corner of the veil as yet.” When we have thoroughly assimilated the knowledge given us, and are all living up to its teaching, the Brotherhood will be ready to lift the veil further; but only when we have complied with those conditions."

"The Lord Maitreya has frequently been called the Teacher of Gods and Men, and that fact is sometimes expressed in a different way by saying that in the great kingdom of the spiritual work He is the Minister for Religion and Education.... His right-hand man in all this marvellous work is His assistant and destined successor, the Master Kuthumi,... it is to Him that we have to bring those who are to be put on probation or accepted at an early age... It has been part of my task for many years to endeavour to train along the right lines any young person whom the Master regards as hopeful; He brings them in contact with me on the physical plane and usually gives brief directions as to what qualities He wants developing in them, and what instruction should be given to them."

"Let me quote from an account of the putting on probation some ten years ago of three of our young people:... We found the Master Kuthumi seated on the veranda of His house, and as I led the young ones forward to Him, He held out His hands to them. The first boy dropped gracefully on one knee and kissed His hand, and thenceforward remained kneeling, pressing against the Master' s knee. All of them kept their eyes upon His, and their whole souls seemed to be pouring out through their eyes. He smiled on them most beautifully and said: “I welcome you with peculiar pleasure; you have all worked with me in the past, and I hope you will do so again this time. I want you to be of us before the Lord comes, so I am beginning with you very early. Remember, this that you wish to undertake is the most glorious of all tasks, but it is not an easy one, because you must gain perfect control over these little bodies; you must forget yourselves entirely and live only to be a blessing to others, and to do the work which is given us to do.... Can you do that?” And they all replied that they would try... “Then I take you as my pupil on probation, and I hope that you will soon come into closer relationship with me, and therefore I give you my blessing, in order that you may pass it on to others.”"

"He is controlled by the Love-Wisdom Ray and, as might consequently be expected, is deeply implicated in vitalizing and proclaiming esoteric teachings. Furthermore He has been presented with the task of stimulating the latent factor of love, lying dormant in almost every human heart, and also to awaken the race of men to the consciousness of their fundamental brotherhood, which must eventually lead them to the One Humanity."

"KH is one of the senior Masters and, with His qualifications of Love and Wisdom, is being trained as the future successor to the World Teacher for, when the sixth root-race becomes established, the Christ will vacate His present office to proceed with even more advanced work on higher planes. Under the circumstances KH works in close association with the Christ, and has also acquired the right to free entry and consultation in the 'Courts of Shamballa'. Masters of lesser degree are allowed such contact only at stated intervals."

"Master KH also has the task of reorganizing world education and partly because of this function he is already well known in the West, where His pupils and disciples are spread far and wide. During the past several decades KH has, however, been engrossed to such an extent in broader world problems, watching over the destinies of prominent world figures, and the handling of deeper incentives and purposes, that He no longer has the opportunity of personally dictating teachings to His disciples working in more restricted fields of activity, and on subjects which can be transmitted just as efficiently by initiates of lesser degree. A number of His pupils have consequently been transferred to DK and other Masters for further training."

"Another special mandate for which KH has assumed responsibility is to collaborate with four other Masters towards initiating the steps needed to prepare humanity for the imminent reappearance of the Christ, and the simultaneous externalization of the Hierarchy."

"Mr. Hume has perfectly defined the difference between personality and individuality. The former hardly survives—the latter, to run successfully its seven-fold and upward course has to assimilate to itself the eternal-life power residing but in the seventh and then blend the three (fourth, fifth and seventh) into one—the sixth. Those who succeed in doing so become Buddhas, Dhyan Chohans, etc. The chief object of our struggle and initiations is to achieve this union while yet on this earth. Those who will be successful have nothing to fear of during the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds. But this is a mystery. Our beloved K.H. is on his way to the goal—the highest of all beyond us on this sphere."

"... is fully engrossed in his index and expects me to write to him and make puja first. I am rather too tall for him to reach so easily as that my head—if he has any intention to cover it with the ashes of contrition. Nor will I put on sack-cloth to show repentance for what I have done. If he writes and puts questions all well and good I'll answer them if not—I will keep my lectures for someone else."

"You — you are sincere, others — put their pride above all. Then those Prayag theosophists — the Pundits and Babus! They do naught and expect us to correspond with them. Fools and arrogant men."

"Before another line passes between us we must come to an agreement, my impulsive friend. You will have first to promise me faithfully never to judge of either of us, nor of the situation, nor of anything else bearing any relation to the 'mythical Brothers' —tall or short —thick or thin— by your worldly experience or you will never come at the truth.... You must thoroughly put aside the personal element if you would get on with occult study and—for a certain time—even with himself. Realize, my friend, that the social affections have little, if any, control over any true adept in the performance of his duty. In proportion as he rises towards perfect adeptship the fancies and antipathies of his former self are weakened (as K.H. in substance explained to you) he takes all mankind into his heart and regards them in the mass... 258-59"

"On the 17th November next the Septenary term of trial given the Society at its foundation in which to discreetly 'preach us' will expire. One or two of us hoped that the world had so far advanced intellectually, if not intuitionally, that the Occult doctrine might gain an intellectual acceptance, and the impulse given for a new cycle of occult research. Others —wiser as it would now seem —held differently, but consent was given for the trial. It was stipulated, however, that the experiment should be made independently of our personal management; that there should be no abnormal interference by ourselves. ...we found in America the man to stand as leader —a man of great moral courage, unselfish, and having other good qualities. He was far from being the best, but ...he was the best one available. With him we associated a woman of most exceptional and wonderful endowments... she had strong personal defects, but just as she was, there was no second to her living fit for this work... Their success has not equaled the hopes of their original backers, phenomenal as it has been in certain directions. In a few more months the term of probation will end. If by that time the status of the Society as regards ourselves —the question of the "Brothers" be not definitely settled (either dropped out of the Society's programme or accepted on our own terms)... We will subside out of public view like a vapour into the ocean. 263-264."

"I cannot avail myself of your kind advice to write to... since it would be opening- a new door for an endless correspondence, an honour I would rather decline. But I write to you instead... What talk of his is this? Reverence may not be in his nature, nor does any one claim or care for it any way! But I should have thought that his head, that is capacious enough to hold anything, had a corner in it for some common sense. And that sense might have told him that either we are what we claim, or we are not. That in the former case, however exaggerated the claims made on behalf of our powers still if our knowledge and foresight do not transcend his then we are no better than shams and impostors and the quicker he parts company with us — the better for him. But if we are in any degree what we claim to be, then he acts like a wild ass. Let him remember, that we are not Indian Rajahs in need of and compelled to accept political Ayahs, and nurses to lead us on by the string. That the Society was founded, went on and will go on with or without him — let him suit himself as to the latter. 269."

"One must manifest discipline of spirit; without it one cannot become free. To the slave discipline of spirit will be a prison; to the liberated one it will be a wondrous healing garden. So long as the discipline of spirit is as fetters the doors are closed, for in fetters one cannot ascend the steps. One may understand the discipline of spirit as wings. Introduction"

"It was after the time of Origen’s disciples that the false religion of the priesthood began to spread."

"The generation which will come into active thought expression at the end of this century... will inaugurate the framework, structure and fabric of the New Age [of Aquarius], which will start with certain premises, which today are the dream of the more exalted dreamers, and which will develop the civilisation of the Aquarian Age. This coming age will be as predominantly the age of group interplay, group idealism, and group consciousness, as the Piscean Age has been one of personality unfoldment and emphasis, personality focus, and personality consciousness. Selfishness, as we now understand it, will gradually disappear, for the will of the individual will voluntarily be blended into the group will."

"Astronomically, we are not yet functioning fully within the influence of Aquarius; we are only just emerging from the Piscean influence, and the full impact of the energies which Aquarius will set loose has not yet been felt. Nevertheless, each year carries us closer to the centre of power, the major effect of which will be to induce recognition of man's essential unity, of the processes of sharing and of cooperation."

"The ancient symbol for the sign Aquarius (into which our Sun is now entering) is that of the Water-carrier, the man with a pitcher of water. This passing of the Sun into the sign Aquarius is an astronomical fact... not an astrological prognostication. The great spiritual achievement and evolutionary event of that age will be the communion and human relationships established among all peoples, enabling men everywhere to sit down together... and share the bread and wine (symbols of nourishment). Preparations for that shared feast (symbolically speaking) are on their way, and those preparations are being made by the masses of men themselves, as they fight and struggle and legislate for the economic sustenance of their nations, and as the theme of food occupies the attention of legislators everywhere. This sharing, beginning on the physical plane, will prove equally true of all human relations and this will be the great gift of the Aquarian Age to humanity."

"It would be of value here to remember that the condition of humanity at this time is not the result of simply one factor, but of several — all of them being active simultaneously, because this period marks the close of one age and the inauguration of the new. This is a transition period between the passing out of the Piscean Age, with its emphasis upon authority and belief, and the coming in of the Aquarian Age, with its emphasis upon individual understanding and direct knowledge."