Theos-Talk Archives (September 2004 Message tt00185)

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "Morten N. Olesen" <global-
theosophy@a...> wrote:

> The following was taken from the book
> "The Initiate in the New World" written 1927 by Cyril Scott

> The text quoted is an excerpt of a lecture given by the so-called 
Initiate named JMH - Jerome Moreward Haig. The subject of the lecture 
was something like "Love and its relation to maya. And how to 
strenghten you capacity for love through meditation and other means".


>exercise the will to love, and you develop the capacity to love, so 
that your whole love - nature becomes strong and enduring; 

>For observe; love requires to be nourished from within and not from 
without. 

> "And so I say to you who are striving for Love - consciousness, use 
every means in your power to attain it. 


Hello Morten,

I have read the post you had mentioned and have reproduced above 
passages I would like to comment on. 

As I understand it, any form of intentionality in trying to express 
love or compassion is a denial of it. The different spiritual 
traditions have placed great emphasis on purification as the first 
stage on the spiritual path, which is not necessarily purity 
according to a certain externally sanctioned code but, in essence, 
freedom from self-interest.

Shantideva, the author of "A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life", 
presents this idea with great directness:

"Thus whoever wishes to quickly afford protection
To both himself and other beings
Should practice that holy secret:
The exchanging of self for others."

Perhaps this exchange is love. In our everyday lives we seem to 
negotiate easily with self-interest and are not really aware of how 
dangerous it is, how destructive.

We want our self-interest to prevail, no matter what.

Although the "daily conquest of self" is perhaps the most difficult 
undertaking before a human being it can be done, in the words of Sri 
Krishna, by constant practice and detachment for in this life we 
don't really possess anything, nothing is ultimately ours. 


Pedro