More Than External Actions, One
Single Idea Can Change Reality from Within
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
* Each moment contains eternal peace. The whole universe is present in every grain of sand. By a drop of water one can know the ocean. All celestial beings remain in touch with each honest soul. Many examples of transcendent unity flourish in the silent, well-balanced awareness of life’s symmetry.
* A joy emerges from understanding the unity of the cosmos and from seeing the direct connection between each individuality and every other being. All is in union, in boundless time and limitless space, and the contentment resulting from realizing this fact cannot be easily expressed in words.
* Silence, or the plenitude of the void that surrounds each existing thing, should be our advisor all the time and in every significant occasion. To see things in a broadening context is inevitable, and it means being innerly quiet, listening to noiselessness, and expanding one’s horizons. The refuge of every sound is silence. The development of wise action is achieved in calmness.
* Happiness does not depend primarily on external factors, but on an ability to see things from the point of view of unlimited space and eternal time. The process of experiencing infinity brings both bliss and a generous self-forgetfulness. In the perspective of the lower self, pain is of course part of the picture, yet not the main focus. Light and contentment are dominant in the central aspects of human consciousness.
* Rather than merely wishing to know what is taking place in the outside world, reasoning individuals prefer to act. It is an illusion to seek for self-renewal by absorbing information about external reality. A well-informed pilgrim has the unchanging goal of self-improvement. His life gets radically renewed every hour, not because the circumstances are changing, but because he is constantly enlarging his view of things.
* Being a noble and legitimate activity, real Politics is part of Philosophy. It is inseparable from universal wisdom and consists in seeking the common good.
* Plato, Cicero, Aristotle, Lao-tzu, Confucius and other sages of all time discuss Politics as an altruistic science, which it truly is. However, Politics is rather a rare phenomenon nowadays. What we often have instead of it is mere electioneering, false propaganda sponsored with large fortunes, and the embezzlement of public money. It is nigh time in our century to rescue Politics from falsehoods and bring it back to the realm of good will and justice, where it belongs.
* It is false to think that each cause has one effect. Each cause provokes many effects, and this is especially so when the cause occurs in the sacred levels of consciousness.
* One second of sunlight reveals an incalculable number of objects and situations. Much more than external actions, one single thought and enduring purpose, issued from a higher realm of perception, will change reality for the better in due time.
* One should examine what the main factor is in determining one’s emotions and state of mind. Is it the deceiving force of external circumstances, “pleasant” or “unpleasant”? Or is it the inner, living relation with one’s own spiritual soul?
* In order for us to have harmony in our minds, it is not necessary that every situation obeys to our personal wishes. Peace is a product of the soul, and we must look at the world from the point of view of Spirit.
* When the purpose is elevated, every obstacle helps one’s training. Being able to wait is part of the journey. There is a time to go ahead and a time to consolidate the progress made. Choosing the right rhythm at each phase of the effort means having both firmness and detachment.
* The multiplication of absurdities and aberrations in the present civilization should not lead the good-willing citizens to despondency, for it is only a tidal wave of Karma, full of useful lessons to be understood. Once the teachings of life are learned, the concrete and objective problems are easily overcome.
* The healing process of social regeneration depends on the positive thoughts and feelings which a community must have for itself, and for the higher ideals inspiring it. The self-esteem of a community is connected with the self-respect of every individual. As long as citizens respect themselves and one another, there will be ethics enough in their country.
The Theosophy of Material Life
* Along the journey of existence, an important part of the soul’s duty consists in learning to improve the relation to one’s physical body. The material vehicle of human beings is a sort of temple, inhabited by a divine spark and a universal Spirit. The sacred side of the various organs in the human body was examined by Helena Blavatsky in her esoteric writings and elsewhere.
* It is naïve to despise physical life, therefore. A human being is only complete and able to fulfil the mission of his present incarnation as long as he is active on the material side of existence. As the decades pass by, one is gradually forced by life to get wiser in the use of his physical vehicle. The more one learns about that, the better, for a healthy body is a valuable tool for the pilgrim who aims at understanding the cosmos and fulfilling the purpose of spiritual evolution.
When Truth Prevails
* Both illusion and right thought depend on mental habits. Therefore, the level of accuracy in our view of any particular situation relates to the degree of exactitude we have in looking at every other aspect of reality.
* If one blocks from himself an accurate view of something, the door is opened to subconscious delusion in other areas of life. All the ways we look at reality are interdependent. When we deny a fact because it is emotionally painful, or because we are attached to some sort of imaginary pleasure or sense of security which the fact will erase, the result is certain. One lie brings another. One illusion produces two or three more. And each true vision produces another. If we look honestly at one fact, we will tend to look in the same way at ten others.
* Entire waves of illusion relating to all kinds of interconnected facts can get unmasked in one second. When this experience is wide and deep enough, it is called “enlightenment”. And when the lights are turned on, all kinds of things get visible – the beautiful ones and the ugly -; and truth and ethics prevail.
Good Will, from a Marriage to a Civilization
* What unites people – in a family, country or theosophical association – is the common feeling of loyalty to shared ethical principles.
* The good will between citizens and leaders depends on the sincerity and strength of people’s beliefs. All must be able to honestly question basic principles, so that their views will be tested and in time get more accurate. Automatic skepticism, however, is as blind as automatic belief.
* Good will sustains communities. Positive thinking makes a country live. Responsible use of thought preserves all things human, from a marriage to the local community and civilization.
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“Thoughts Along the Road – 41” was published as an independent text on 04 January 2020. An initial version of it, with no indication as to the name of the author, is included in “The Aquarian Theosophist”, April 2018 edition, pp. 7-8. The notes “The Theosophy of Material Life” (pages 16-17 of that edition), “When Truth Prevails” (p. 4) and “Good Will, from a Marriage to a Civilization” (p. 5) were also written by CCA and are included in the present article.
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See other writings by Carlos Cardoso Aveline.
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