Number 4.– Growth
Japan banks
are most powerful in the world, but remain motionless and unable to further
growth. Money is valueless if you do not move it. Interest rates go to
the other extreme when they are low; so they stop getting benefit, and
begin to lose. They cannot increase any more. Likewise in economy of our
country and other very powerful nations. The so-called sustained growth
is an illusion; to get infinitely fat is a grotesque illusion. But getting
always slim like the poor leads to death. The world system invariably
progressing is against the universal reversibility principle and leads
to an out-break. It is what we are recently seeing in all fields of human
activities, and in a spectacular way, in a violent confrontation of the
powerful. Or Humanity reversibly changes the way to act in the opposite
direction, or bursts. Decisions have been made, and we can personally
see the collapse of Western civilization buildings in slow camera and
detail.
Throughout his books, Master Santiago gives an explanation about the principle
of reversibility on the Way of Renunciation, as a permanent gift in continuity
of life, since remotest times until today. What reverts, remains; what
repeats, dies. This golden rule is in force for whole Humanity, from great
powers to intimacy of the humble. Races and Sub-Races follow each other
reversibly. Now the Aryan Teutonic Sub-Race ended up, and the Aryan American
Sub-Race begins with values opposite to precedent ones. This will be the
task of Maitreya, the redeemer –stopping the destiny wheel turning
toward a direction, and bringing it into motion in the opposite direction.
Read Teachings about Maitreya, collected in Commentaries, and you can
understand present disasters. It is an unusual chance to change personally
with hope about the future.
All men are immersed in the final time of masses going mad in their own
passions. If we follow collective impulses, we go toward a visible abyss
in face of us, whatever may be our position. Only the individual soul,
conscious of his attributes, can freely change his destiny reverting his
direction, and turning 180 grades, he can follow the New Redeemer’s
steps.
Master Santiago’s
first Book, “Spiritual Development”, Chapter 8, reads, “Alas,
poor those men who, convinced of the existence of pleasant things and
unpleasant things, feel that ugly things are non-existent, while looking
for only what they consider pleasant. They never will be happy, because
there are neither ugly things nor beautiful things; all of them should
be known as a whole as soon as they unveil the seed spirit promoting them,
after they have been closely investigated.”.
Argentineans experience now an intense social disorder, perhaps heavier
than in other times and places, and motives of such a collective state
are so elusive that many persons neither understand nor stand them, and
pour their resentment on others –persons or institutions. Reactions
are violent and destructive everywhere, but mainly harmful in themselves.
They never can be happy; they live in anguish because are unable to possess
what they desire, and as they are immersed in material things, money,
pleasure, entertainment, clothes, and so on, they feel very unhappy, while
expecting certain next political change to get wellbeing for free. They
are living like that long time ago, and will continue, not understanding
that “...happiness is in knowing all things –good and evil”,
as Saint Francis of Assisi said.
Life always offers many chances to learn and improve, and as its order
responds to the compensation principle, you can see that, automatically,
as you lose something good, another –perhaps more significant–
good arises. But one has to be watchful and not subject to things of wishes.
Our daily reality tells us quite clearly, life is continuous change; if
we remain attached to unstable goods, mainly to money, we create a destiny
of unceasing suffering. Renunciation opens the Way to liberation so that
we know all things derived from the reality.
What is the operation able to get rid from this social mass disorder invading
homes, workshops, business, and personal intimacy? Basically, minimizing
action as much as possible according with one’s responsibility:
family, job, study, and inner life. All the rest is unhelpful and harmful.
Disorder can stop by the streets and not to enter home if and when doors
are locked and inaccessible to alluring passions offered by disoriented
men.
b. A Little of Quietness
A little
after the Second World War, Master Santiago’s first 1947 Full Moon
Message reads, “Too much work has been done in the last years; too
many new things have been invented: in peace and war, Humanity has moved
too much and did not find an atom of happiness. So, let us return to loneliness,
Prayer and Silence”.
More than fifty years have passed and things are far worse; the way of
quietness is not followed, and men surrendered to the frenzy of possessing
more and more. Nations destroyed by war are today more active in the concert
of universal decadence. Sixty million people died in the war; today they
mainly die of hunger, drug-addiction, AIDS, diseases, terrorism, holdups,
and other general calamities. Argentina did not take part in the war,
but now Buenos Aires, like other American metropolis, is menaced by these
miseries: disorder and insecurity. What one watches by TV happens in daily
life, by the streets of downtown when the night falls, in football stadiums,
and in newspaper headlines. You do not need to be a journalist in Afghanistan
to record how innocent people suffer; near, in any slum, you can find
the same; but it is more painful. Afghanis suffer because they are bombed;
Argentineans suffer because corruption is in them. Since the end of the
war, men have made many things, but Humanity did not find an atom of happiness.
Many years later, Master Santiago repeated his Teachings in 1962, and
announced, “the Message of Renunciation is a proclamation beyond
religious and political proclamations, just as a spiritual voice that
understands and shares a growing need of men, of all social classes and
races, in order to improve their own conditions of life. A spiritual voice
exhorting all men to accept sacrifices related to action and present hour,
and to understand this: what one may lose on a plane, is always matched
on another, a budget cut by higher moral values, a loss of easy securities
by a higher spiritual development”.
Certainly, there is a degrading socioeconomic situation experienced by
our modern society, and one cannot glimpse any positive correction at
any term; on the contrary, forecasts are even discouraging in wealthy
nations. But if to this general and irreparable suffering you add rebelliousness,
competitive confrontations, disagreement, hatred and revenge, we shall
end like Colombians, Jews and Palestinians destroying themselves. We can
do nothing outside because there is a confrontation of quite powerful
forces, but certainly we can correct our lives with personal efforts so
as Master Santiago teaches us. No political or religious system will help
men with promises and more promises. Every one has to save himself by
means of a permanent inner work.
We have reflected
on Master Bovisio’s Messages calling to quietness and prayer in
times of confusion experienced by Humanity. But how to work internally
if we are unaware of instruments available to the soul and never we knew
them and even we do not know the matter? Men are so busy in mere outer
and worldly matters that they ignore themselves, and when it is time to
bring forces of the soul into action in order to survive and overcome
a crisis, in vain they remain paralyzed and weeping for their miseries.
All Master Bovisio’s Teachings refer to these instruments so that
the individual being may make them operative and helpful for his own good.
Some instruments are intellectual, for mind knowledge, others are operative
and move sensibility, some of them help to rest and live in peace, others
give a correct human position as a whole, and others mainly teach good
death and life in the hereafter. Courses constitute a complete system
–theoretical and operative– of human life in every dimension,
in search of spiritual liberation.
Of Teachings offered by this Internet collection, we shall mark three
as the fittest for the above-mentioned goals: “Backward Examination”,
“Meditation” and “Methodized Meditations”.
“Backward Examination”, (Book I, Chapter 4): Main cause of
social disorder is lack of control in personal thoughts, as much leaders
as led persons. If men could dominate their minds, they would do what
they actually want, not what others demand. Backward Examination is an
exercise to check thoughts by remembering the past. This Teaching explains
quite clearly the way to practice it and its results, first, a quiet and
refreshing sleep and, after certain period of time and constancy, higher
mind control.
“Meditation” and “Methodized Meditations” (Book
XVI, Chapters 8 and 9): They describe in detail functions, operation of
different steps, seven basic subjects, main methodical exercises, and
good intentions. Also they warn about dangers derived from looking for
psychic effects or domination of others.
The same Book XIV offers other spiritual instruments closely related to
Meditation, Concentration, Contemplation, and other matters. A close reading
of different Courses can lead the student to diverse Teachings, which
can help him find the exercise fittest for his own disposition. Some persons
may practice Discursive Meditation, others may find more advantage in
Affective Meditation, and others may prefer Simple Prayer. The important
thing is to work in a positive way in order to get out of the ignorance
well in which poor modern men are confined by outer circumstances.
