Theos-Talk Archives (November 1993 Message tl00034)

Thanks Brenda, for this beautiful piece; before I forget I'd like to put
in a few questions/comments that come to my mind/Arvind

>
> My real purpose in writing today was to inquire of the
> students here about their purification practices Has
> austerity found its way into your life in the form of
> vegetarianism, abstention from alcohol, cigarettes,
> drugs?  Does a celibate life present its ideal as one
> worth striving for?  The purification practices are for
> the body its true, but the brain substance would be
> made especially attuned to receiving the higher
> impulses, would it not?

The purification process is a prerequisite for meditatation, as
enunciated in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali i.e. the 5 Rules and the 5
Commandments. It is said that meditation can have a devastating impact
on him who has not taken the initial step of building up his
chraracter by implementing in his life the 5 Yamas (Rules), namely

1.Harmlessness
2.Truth to all beings
3.Abstinence from Theft
4.Abstinence from incontinence (Desire)
5.Abstinence from Avarice (or covetouness)

and the 5 Niyamas, i.e.

1.External and Internal Purification
2.Contentedness
3.Fiery Aspiration
4.Spiritual Reading
5.Devotion to Ishvara

I have been trying to implement these into my daily living, with great
benefit to the extent that my family has noticed a significant change
for the better in my attitude towards everyone around me; I have
myself felt more at one with myself as well I am following the 'Yoga
Sutras of Patanjali' as translated by Alice Bailey ("Light of the
Soul") but am curious about whether HPB has written anything similar
(about purification etc.)  Matter of fact, a fellow theosophist told
me that HPB was a chain smoker (it appears in Cranston's biography of
HPB as well) and a non-vegetarian Where did the teaching in theosophy
about vegetarianism come from, is it in any book?

Bailey has said that 'purification' and esp. vegtarianism is a
prelimnary step and a requirement for the initial stages of the path
(before the first initiation) and one or more 'lifetimes of celibacy'
may be spent by someone on the path As a person advances on the path
it is not necessary to maintain a strict vegetarian diet according to
Bailey; I can only infer that the mental purification and mental work
then becomes much more important and the stage of physical purification
involving demonstration of control over physical appetites falls below
the level of the 'conscious' daily living Bailey has left the question
of being a vegetarian or not for advanced disciples to themselves,
hinting that some may require non-vegetarian diet to meet the needs of
their physical constitution This reminds me of my 15 year old daughter
Rita who became a strict vegetarian after coming in contact with
theosophists and reading an article on this subject by Radha Burnier
Recently though she  had to re-think her strategy in the light of a
medical exam which revealed (confirmed our suspicions) that she was
not getting all the nutrients she needed from her vegetarian diet
She has been asked to take some fish oils and eat fish products (which
she has started eating reluctantly and in the minutest quantities now).

Bailey has said that advanced disciples who wish to work on the Astral
or emotional planes must continue with their vegetarian diets; others
can eat whatever seems appropriate to them, and not emphasize what they
eat (i.e. other items of daily 'mental' living should take precedence
over what is eaten).

> I sometimes end up visualizing a great, big, garbage
> heap Sure, let's clean the air, water, and land from
> toxicity and debris, but what about the astral and
> mental plane There's a great big area here which
> needs to be cleaned cleaned cleaned and I still feel
> like using my powers to rid these atmospheres of
> negativity and debris, so that only the good is left.
> This would really be an aid to those seeking soul
> cognition I know that I would appreciate it immensely
> if someone would step into my atmosphere and all
> inharmonious, all discordant, energies disappeared.
> What freedom and relief from an engulfing "spralldom."
> With perfect order restored, I would feel myself
> participating in ways I never dreamed possible
>
> Is this just a big dream

According to Bailey the work of occult meditation (Raja Yoga) involves
invocation and evocation of the energies of Light, Love and
Will-to-good, automatically resulting in cleansing of the astral and
mental planes The extent of the cleansing depends on the effectiveness
of the one-pointedness during the meditation process Different
persons are at different stages of the path and the level of 'soul
contact' achieved determines the effectiveness in bringing down the
'cleansing' energies into the lower concrete planes of matter (i.e.
mental, emotional and etheric planes).

The 'salvation' for all on the path lies in intensifying their work of
study, selfless service of Humanity, and meditation as a Service
activity.