IX. The Eternal Self-Consciousness

Tilak of Tibet Reveals Life's Purpose, by Ann Hackett [1944], at sacred-texts.com

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IX

THE ETERNAL SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS

Tilak meditated: An earthly life is but an episode in the endless existence of the individual. As many physical bodies as the individual may animate, so many physical bodies pass into oblivion. Earthly life is incessant repetition. This repetition ceases for the individual only when the individual's faculties expand and the individual needs the repetition no longer. Repetition is a reminder; every earthly life is a reminder for the individual. Thinking is difficult. Thinking does not permit thoughts to wander indifferently. Many thoughts pass without self-conscious notice. This is not thinking. Thinking is directing thoughts self-consciously. Directed thoughts form the nucleus of a retentive memory. Faulty memory results from faulty thinking. Memory is the most misunderstood of all the faculties. How can the memory be strengthened?

Most experiences of earth life seem to fade out of memory and become nonexistent to the individual. These experiences can be recovered by the individual,

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for memory is a very active and very perfect recording faculty. Memory records accurately everything that passes through the self-consciousness of the individual. It is the use of individual memory that is imperfect. This imperfect use of individual memory has a correspondence to the imperfect use of other faculties. When any faculty is strengthened memory gains in power. This gain in power ultimately permits the individual a greater use of memory, so that it will ultimately be possible to recollect conditions experienced before physical birth.

Interest expands memory. Whatever self-consciousness was interested in at a given period can readily be drawn from memory. These interests may have been debasing or elevating. If these interests were debasing, the memory often haunts the individual and brings to pass a state of fear; if these interests were elevating, the memory then acts as a guide and points the way to greater elevation.

The individual during earthly life stands between the past and the future. The individual's self-conscious perception of anything in earthly life is the present. The instant anything is perceived self-consciously it belongs to the past; before the self-conscious perception it belonged to the future.

During earthly life, can a self-conscious choice change the physical future that lies before the individual? The individual's self-conscious choice cannot

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change the physical future that lies before him. The individual's choice can, however, prepare the individual to so receive the future event or condition that it will instruct him, and then he will not consider the event or condition a punishment.

ORDER

Without order no life can be complete. The root of accidents is selfishness. No selfish life can contain order. A life that contains order is constructive. What is order? Order is so arranging earthly life that thoughts and actions bring not sorrow and hardship to others. Order ever strives to bring about a right relationship of one thing with another; a right relationship between one individual and another individual.

When an individual attempts to draw to himself more than the individual needs, the individual is planting a seed of disorder.

The individual should self-consciously study all his actions and reactions, and the motives that promulgated the actions. Such study ultimately brings order into the life. Whatever contributes to the discomfort of any individual contains not order.

Use alone strengthens any faculty. Every definite act in the life should bring into play the major faculties—thinking, feeling, motive, and reason. If in any act one or more of these faculties remain quiescent, the

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act is incomplete and the result is often confusing, and is without order. Faculty training is one of the first essentials toward a balanced earthly life.

When only the emotional faculty directs an act, the act is unstable; when only the mental faculty directs an act, the act is cold, often cruel. The effects of earthly acts do not often appear quickly; months, even years, may intervene before the effects are physically manifest. Inwardly the effects immediately follow the act. These inner effects may not be perceived by the self-consciousness. It is the inner effects that bring a feeling of elation or a feeling of depression to the individual.

A daily review of the individual's acts assists faculty development. This review is retrospection; it is the weeding of the self-conscious garden.

The individual should love and protect his inner life, for it is eternally with the individual. The outer life is ever passing away. That which is ever passing away is but the mirror wherein is reflected everything that is transitory. While living in the physical body the individual should use every effort to balance his outer life with his inner life; then the outer life will reflect the inner.

UNDERSTANDING

What brings to pass understanding?—Co-ordination of faculties. When the faculties co-operate

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understanding appears. Understanding places little dependence upon sense life. The more developed a faculty, the more independent a faculty. A definite interest is of the greatest value to the understanding. Interests ultimately become varied; these varied interests are subjectively related. A universal interest brings a universal understanding.

What should be a definite interest of any individual who wishes to have a wider understanding? The individual should be definitely interested in his position in the universe; interested in what he can contribute to his well-being, and interested in what he can contribute to the well-being of others. The individual must realize that a single physical life is but a step; that the individual must press many such steps to ascend. The individual ascends to a greater understanding only on the steps of ever-widening interests.

Since everything found in earthly life has a definite purpose, the individual should be interested in such purpose. Nothing should be considered too small or too great for the individual's comprehension. Lack of interest in that which elevates is self-limitation.

Many individuals assume a responsibility for certain events—events that are only with the Supreme Law. There is, however, an individual responsibility attached to all action. The control and direction of all individual faculties is the full responsibility of every individual. This is a great responsibility, and one that

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is not readily assumed. It often appears easier to assume responsibility for that which belongs not to the individual.

ALL IS RECORDED

Every thought, feeling and motive is recorded in every physical particle. If thought, feeling or motive has been unjust, cruel or selfish, should the individual expect the physical particles to be healthy? What is done in the secret of the heart is not unknown to physical particles, for physical particles register everything. An evil man never has face of saint.

In a single manifested physical particle can be seen the complete earthly life of an individual; therein can be read the individual's thoughts, feelings and motives; everything that was apparently hidden stands revealed. Neglect and abuse of physical particles ultimately brings unbalance and illness to them.

The physical plane is ever changing. Some of the changes can be seen. All changes follow definite physical laws. When an individual covers himself with physical particles, these particles are composed of materials drawn entirely from the physical plane; the particles are drawn from various aggregations of particles. Some particle aggregations slow up the revolution of the particles, while other aggregations accelerate the particle movement. As physical particles are drawn to the presented individual form, they

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become an aggregate of particles, and therefore are visible to the physical eye. If no individual form was presented for particles to cover, the particles would manifest as particle energy. The aggregate particles covering the individual form are varying degrees of particle energy.

When an individual commits a vicious physical act the physical particles record the act. The individual to whom the act was directed also records the act on his physical particles. This establishes a connection between the two individuals. If years later, or lives later, these two individuals were to again meet, the previous recordings would mirror forth that which had taken place. Thus all individual acts are recorded as they manifest. It is this recording of all actions that attracts or repels individuals. In earthly life the individual who has been subjected to the effects of a vicious act will often retaliate in degree and kind. Such may come to pass though the two individuals do not contact one another for hundreds of physical, lives.

An individual, wherever manifesting, is only related to another individual by the similarities they both contain. The more the similarity between one individual and another, the closer the relationship.

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The individual that dwells often in his inner state readily grants freedom to all; the individual grants freedom to all because the individual is enjoying freedom. An individual dwelling almost entirely in the outer state grants freedom to no one, because the individual enjoys no freedom. Whatever an individual enjoys the individual grants to others. Is not a bitter individual bitter at everything? If nothing sings in the inner life, nothing will sing in the outer life.

Whatever the individual sees in the outer life, wherever the individual sees it in the outer life, in whatever the individual sees it in the outer life; it but records his inner state of being. If this inner state of being is without kindness, is morose and demanding, the individual will only find, in the outer physical life, unkindness, moroseness and demands.

THE RETURN

Tilak left the Chamber of the Great Potential and moved swiftly, in his finer body, to the Lane of Return.

In a large field, near the Lane of Return, many had gathered. The many were waiting a call from the earth below.

A man approached Tilak, and said: "Casi is calling."

"Yes, friend—in two hours Casi will leave her physical body. The physical body has served her well."

"I have prepared a home for Casi; a home near a

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running stream. I have planted around the home the flowers that Casi loves," said Tilak's companion.

"Casi was your wife, friend?"

"Yes, my wife. We lived together for thirty-one years in earthly life."

"A happy companionship, friend, tempers many adversaries—Come, friend."

Tilak and his companion moved through space and then descended into a village near central India, stopping before a modest dwelling. Entering the dwelling, Tilak and his companion moved to a chamber at the rear of the dwelling.

A woman was lying on a bed in the room—her eyes were closed. Around the bed were standing her relatives and friends.

Tilak's companion stood at the foot of the bed. c

Tilak said to the waiting man: "The aura of the woman's finer body is brightening—she will soon be by your side."

As Tilak was speaking, the woman's finer body separated slowly from the physical counterpart lying on the bed. From her physical lips came the words: "Nion—Nion."

In the finer body the woman had seen her husband at the foot of the bed. As the woman was still partly joined to the physical garment, her physical lips shaped the name that had issued from the lips of the finer garment.

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As her relatives were saying, "she has passed," Casi was standing in her finer body beside Nion. Tenderly Nion embraced his wife.

The woman walked over and kissed each of her relatives, saying softly: "I will be near and watch over you." The relatives felt not the woman's touch, nor heard the woman's words.

"Come," said Tilak.

Casi and Nion moved away with Tilak and soon entered the Lane of Return.

"Again, Casi, you have returned from earthly life; again are you reunited with Nion."

"Again?" questioned Casi. "Have I been in earthly life before?"

"Often," smiled Tilak.

"I do not remember that I ever lived in earthly life before—And Nion, was he with me in earthly life—before?"

"Many times, friend."

"Why have I forgotten my past association with Nion?"

"Such forgetfulness, friend, is but temporary. It is better so—for to carry much of the past in earthly life would prove too great a burden."

"Will I sometime remember?"

"Yes, friend, you will remember when the past has lost its pull. Many try to live in the past, and yet it is the future that holds the greater beauty."

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Nion asked: "We will return again to earth life?"

"At a distant period, friend—and in another nation—a nation being prepared."

"With Casi?"

"Casi will be with you, friend."

"Then all will be well."

"Live toward the future; treat the past as a teacher—and then all will be well."

Tilak watched Nion and Casi move off toward their little home by a running stream; a home surrounded by the flowers that Casi loved.

Tilak wrote on parchment leaf: All individuals leaving earthly bodies are met by those that have associated closely with them. This relationship may have been that of father, mother, sister, brother, husband, wife, son, daughter, or friend. Whatever the relationship may have been, it is only the good of such association that will bless a future relationship. All associations serve a purpose. If one association in earthly life does not bring out that needed, other associations will follow.

Many in earthly life deny an existence before physical birth, and question the condition after physical death. These individuals move in a small orbit, and often make of earthly life a personal affair and remain

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for long periods satisfied with the trinkets presented in physical conditions. It is not until the individual seeks life's purpose that life reveals her greater treasures. A personal life is a selfish life, and demands much for the little that is given. If an individual does not feel another's suffering, another's trials, such an individual knows not life's purpose. Destiny prevents any individual from heaping upon another a load that the individual alone has been sent to carry.