"Deliver thou thyself, by thyself
Ah, do not let thyself sink
For thou art thyself thy greatest friend
And thyself (the relative 'I') thy greatest enemy."
This, student, is not the ravings of a lunatic. It is the secret of SAT-CHIT-ANANDA—eternal existence, knowledge and bliss. Attainment of perfection means absolute Freedom. Do you or would you know the meaning of Life? It is the search after Sat-chit-ananda. But man is trying to realise this Perfect Existence in the transitory things of the earth-plane. Only when he knows that not attachment to the things of the "world, the flesh and the devil" but renunciation of same and the bringing of the Impersonal Ideal into his everyday life would lead him to it, then Maya will have fulfilled its purpose—which is to show man his divinity. "Kill out the desire for life. Kill out Ambition. Kill out desire for comfort; yet work as those who love life. Respect life as those who are ambitious. Be happy as those are who live for happiness."
So says Mabel Collins in the Light on the Path. Yes, you must work constantly, train your intellect, develop your personality but do not do all this for your own personal self but for the Higher Self, The BRAHMAN, Eternal—to manifest through. As soon as you lose this view-point your personal strivings end in Pain and Disappointment. Work as hard as the ambitious man and the lover of pleasures but remember your actions are inspired by different motives. Here Spirit is the director.
"To the work thou hast the right, O Partha, but not to the fruits thereof"—Gita. All clinging to results leads to degeneration. The soul should cling to nothing. All work and all effort must be dedicated unto the Higher Self. When you care for the results you are only worshipping the lower self. Hence the value of selfless labour, thus the maya-fascinated mind is purified and de-hypnotised and we attain to the emergence of the personal into the Impersonal. Either say "I am thou, O Lord!" and thus out at the root of the lower "I" and destroy it for ever or say "I am nothing, O Eternal One! thou art everything" and thereby lose the lower into the Higher. The first is for the Gnani—the second for the Bhakti Yogi. Both mean the same thing. Love everyone but do not depend upon the love of any one. Give everything. Take nothing. Serve every one. Do not care for service and gratitude in return. You are the Heir to the Infinite. All Power is behind you. But so long as you are a beggar, a beggar shall you remain. Renounce the lower self, Live for the Higher. What you call Universal Love is the expression on the lower plane of the subjective reception of ABSOLUTE UNITY on the Buddhic plane and in SAMADHI (Final Illumination).
LESSONS III AND IV.
THE YOGI SELF-DEVELOPER
INTRODUCTION.
In lessons 1 and 2 we have initiated you into the mysteries of Will and Mind-Force, the governing principles of the Universe and the laws of their development. We have also taught you how to acquire absolute control over Body and Mind. In these lessons we have striven to point out to you the right "Mental Attitude" towards your daily life, so that while mainly engaged in the task of Self-Culture you might also lend a hand in the great work of strengthening the race. Moreover our convictions, beliefs, and ideals are no mean, insignificant factors in the determination of our health and environmental conditions. They react on our circumstances as well as on the WHOLE MAN. We have also given you important points of instruction in Soul Unfoldment, Meditation, Bramhacharya, Breathing, Fasting, Health-Culture, Body building and shown you, as distinctly as we could, the exact process of developing a single virtue in your self thereby you may master the process and method of developing other virtues, the lines of action and thought being well nigh similar in all, and foculising at certain common points of primary importance. We have given the bare body of truth in connection with the development, evolution and unfoldment of the body and the soul, stripping of the metaphysical trappings and the theoretical draperies in which they are clothed. We have had to literally rend asunder the heavy wheel that had the divine face of truth. Hence our lessons are brief and to the point. We have had to contend against and overcome another serious difficulty. Expressed in the matter of fact English language, these wondrous truths of mysticism cannot but lose the air of profound solemnity and sanctity that pervades the subject of Yoga in Sanskrit literature. The wise and thoughtful student and we certainly do not write for light-headed and non-serious people, will not let their apparent simplicity deceive him or throw him off his guard. Rather let him realise that these lessons can be pressed into service in all directions and in all spheres of life. Let him just put them into practice and he will at once see their practical bearing on his daily life. These lessons do not go into the "WHAT" but point out the "HOW" of every thing. We leave every student to suit his individual case as to the intellectual side of the ETERNAL PROBLEM. In conclusion we have to say that this Course does not pretend to deal with the advanced stages of Yoga, much less exhaust them. But they will, positively and decidedly prepare him for those higher things by lifting the PALL OF DARKNESS from his mind.
LESSONS III AND IV.
Quite a number of you there must be to whom the "Fearless" mind is not only an enviable possession but something to which you are and have been an utter stranger. You may not say it to others—confession may hurt your pride—but secretly away deep in your heart, there resides strongly and fiercely the desire to be a Fearless Individual. And it is a worthy desire. To be able to wipe off all fearfulness, anxiety and worry from your mental tablets is no easy task, but when once accomplished, it gives you a glimpse of Heavenly Joy and Superhuman Strength. And, You can be Fearless, I tell you—each one of you—you can be what you will to be. I have seen it. I have done it. I am going to give you sound and positive instructions in this paper so that you may forge ahead towards your goal. These instructions are based upon good psychological grounds, have been tested and proved by millions and proved a blessing to whoever took them up in all earnestness and gave them a trial. If you want to be Fearless, hesitate not to follow them to the very letter.