The Notebooks of Paul Brunton 03 - Practices for the Quest, Relax & Retreat by Paul Brunton

Author:Paul Brunton [Brunton, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Philosophy
Published: 2018-01-15T05:00:00+00:00

8.2 Spiritual Service

62

He must defend his right to an inner life against all disruptions, however well-meaning the disrupter may be. What he owes to others, to society, friends, or family in the way of devotion, attention, or intercourse can and should be given. But there is a point where his self-giving may have to stop, where his responsibility to the higher purpose of living must cancel all other responsibilities.

63

When a man begins to think of what service he can render as well as the common thought of what he can get, he begins to walk success-wards.

64

All the great prophets have made special mention of the fact that the task of spiritually enlightening others is the most important and most beneficial activity in which any man can engage. He who wishes to stimulate others to start on the spiritual Quest, to help those who have already started to find the right direction in which to travel, and to make available to the public generally the leading truths of spiritual knowledge, feels that this is the most worthwhile activity. The effective and enduring preparation for this is first to spiritualize oneself and therefore it is up to him to carry on even more ardently with his efforts than he has done hitherto.

65

Philosophy bids him follow its quest and practise its ethics in his own person before he bids others do so. Only after he has succeeded in doing this, can he have the right to address himself to them. Only after he has discovered its results and tested its values for himself, can he guide them without the risks of deception on the one hand or hypocrisy on the other.

66

He may seek, when better equipped to do so, to render service to many people. But until that time comes, it is better to go on working upon himself, improving his moral character, increasing his knowledge of the philosophic teachings, humbling himself in daily prayer and worship, and cultivating that thread of intuition which links him to the Soul.

67

The seeker who follows this path is and will be of some service as a channel for the inspiration and enlightenment of others less advanced than he – within, of course, his own capacity and subject to his own limitations. Because of this, he should make every effort to acquire accurate knowledge of what the Quest is, what Philosophy contributes to it, and what – in everyday language – these mean and offer to the individual's everyday life.

68

The acts of service are yours, the consequences of service are God's. Do not be anxious where anxiety is not your business.

69

He must not only apply the teaching but he must apply it intelligently. His acts must either be inspired ones or, when they cannot attain that level, considered ones. Only in this way will he avoid the reproach so often levelled at mystics, that they are impractical, fanatical, and inefficient.

70

Service, in its purity, must be the first as well as the last thought behind his work. He

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