Theos-Talk Archives (December 2006 Message tt00382)

Friends, 

We all can see Universal Brotherhood is no easy thing to practice.  

Part of the difficulty is that Brotherhood  cannot exist without discernment or frankness. It cannot co-exist with hypocrisy.  Rigid courtesy rules asfixiate people's natural need for sincerity.  Therefore Brotherhood cannot replace truth or truthfulness,  but it needs to come together with it, instead.   It is not merely by outer attitudes that we can attain it; but by living the  Wisdom within. 

An article on Brotherhood,  published in the September 2005 issue of  the Indian ULT magazine "The Theosophical Movement", starts with these words:   

"Today, we hear so much about Brotherhood, but rarely of the need to educate ourselves and the world in order to understand and practise Brotherhood. In fact, there are so many meanings of the word itself, so many attitudes towards the practice of it, that it is not surprising that it is still merely a word and not a vital part of life. We need, therefore, to begin to educate ourselves first, and then the world, in this subject."

The text proceeds: 

"Once we start examining this idea, we are forced back to the starting point of any understanding of life, namely, the Universe—the Whole—and the unit—that speck of consciousness which is a portion of the Whole—and the relationship of the units to the Whole and to each other. We have, therefore, three aspects to consider—the mental concept of Brotherhood, the actional aspect and the heart aspect." 

But where should we start? 
"Starting where we are, we must ask ourselves, "What do I mean by acting brotherly to my neighbour?" Meditating along this line, we see that, as a unit of consciousness, each man has a relationship to all other units, from the atom to the star and the sun, the criminal and the saint, the evil and the good. This conclusion cannot be escaped, and physical science is bringing to our notice today this interrelationship as a practical effect and cause."

See all of the text at 

http://www.teosofia.com/Mumbai/7511brotherly.html


Best  regards,   Carlos. 


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