ONE LIGHT SHINES through the whole path to authentic life, the light of God, Who is present in every activity to which we give ourselves body and soul. God does not have to be sought out in far-away places, nor is He the preserve of the intellectually competent, nor have occult techniques to be mastered before He can be found. He is closer to us than our own soul; indeed, He makes Himself known to us on the path to self-knowledge. He is the boon companion of the child, while obscure to the intellectually inflated adult. No wonder Jesus taught that unless we become as little children we shall never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3). And yet St. Paul, in an equally famous passage, speaks of the necessity of putting away childish things when we grow up into full adulthood (1 Corinthians 13:11). It is evident that knowledge is a vital part of spiritual progress, and yet can all too easily obscure the vision of God.
In the Hindu tradition the mind is described as the slayer of the real; a brief sojourn among the usual run of academicians and applied scientists, in whose company all imaginative thought is rapidly silenced, will soon convince the outsider of this truth.
The Way of Knowledge and its Pitfalls
There are two types of knowledge. The first is the common one that separates the knower from the known, which becomes an object to be mastered and controlled. This is the I-It relationship of Buber, and is the type of knowledge the world demands and esteems. To be sure, man has attained his position of supremacy by virtue of it. In the most positive way he has, through the rapid advances of scientific knowledge, dominion over all the outer aspects of the world, so much so that he is now poised on the knife-edge of destruction not only of the earth but also of himself.
The second type of knowledge brings both knower and known into a creative relationship in which the transcendent reality underlying it is revealed. This is the unitive knowledge whose nature is love. It is the stuff of life as well as its meaning, and is the I-Thou relationship. It leads us directly to a knowledge of God, for it is above all sacramental. This unitive type of knowledge is clearly holy, and is the destination of the spiritual path. But is separative knowledge also of use spiritually, or is it always perverse?
This question deserves a firm answer. All knowledge is potentially beneficial provided it is not the end of the quest. In the spiritual path a detailed understanding of the body, mind, and soul, as far as this is possible, is most important. It is a basic truth that dietary excesses and alcoholic intemperance damage the body and weaken the mind. A person on the spiritual path learns almost intuitively to cut down on his food intake and to take as little alcohol (and the various psychotropic drugs that are so widely prescribed for sleeplessness, anxiety, and depression) as possible. The vegetarian way becomes ever more attractive - though the aspirant will never embarrass his host by indulging his personal whims regarding food - and smoking loses its emotional urgency.
Likewise the mind can be stilled and kept relaxed by the practice of meditation. An attitude of benediction towards all living things is a wonderful way of attaining meditative calm during the working hours. The Buddhist ideal of "meditation in action" is an application of the inner stillness attained during silent meditation to the world around one during the heavy business of our waking hours. As I have already stated, the technique of meditation and the practice of prayer have to be with us at all times and places if they are to be real.
The most detailed scheme of spiritual knowledge in existence is the Indian system of Yoga, which finds its culmination in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. As is well known to practitioners of this system, there is no part of the personality that is excluded from its comprehensive surveillance. The bodily movements and breathing exercises are the most celebrated parts of the system, and each movement is performed with that complete awareness and self-dedication which is the true meaning of meditation. In this way the sacrament of the body is realised. And yet this part of Yoga is at the foot-hills of the real quest, the consecration of the person to God, however He may be conceived (and here the undogmatic Hindu-Buddhist approach to ultimate reality can be much more liberating than the fixed dogmatism of Western theistic religion which all too often has parcelled the Deity into tidy categories of thought). The psychic constitution of the personality, a branch of knowledge still obscure to Western psychology, has from time immemorial been symbolised in the Yogic tradition in the concept of subtle immaterial bodies interpenetrating the material physical body and having well-defined centres of psychic sensitivity which are called "chakras". To those who are psychically aware this scheme is accurate enough, even if its conceptual formulation is inadequate and obtuse. I personally was aware of the centres through my own experience long before I read books on Hindu metaphysics. It is incidentally to the credit of the Theosophical Society and its various offshoots that this knowledge has been transmitted to the West, albeit in a rather debased, sensationalised form. In fact, the deeper contemplative tradition of the Catholic Church, both Eastern and Western, has long been aware of the psychic centres also, although it has laid less emphasis on them. The Orthodox Church's celebrated Jesus prayer is also called the prayer of the heart: it is the intention of the disciple to bring his mind (from the head) into proximity with his heart (the centre of love and compassion). Though all the centres are important, it is unwise to meditate on the higher ones until the heart is fully active. Then at least one's endeavours will be consummated in love rather than in self-seeking.
It is evident that techniques can be of great value in fostering the spiritual life. They can unfortunately equally easily be the means whereby the isolated self is glorified and the vision of God banished. It is often this undesirable element which dominates the lives of technical practitioners. Their endeavours open to their vision vast expanses of psychic territory, including in some instances possible glimpses of past lives, and they become increasingly inflated and arrogant. This is where spirituality degenerates into frank occultism. It is probable that a considerable amount of psychical information derived from occult techniques has some basis of truth, and yet in itself it leads nowhere. Moreover, it does have the baneful effect of diverting the aspirant from communion with God into self-limiting psychical experiences whose ultimate path is a dead-end.
Many people of the West have discarded the religious tradition of their particular culture, be it Jewish or Christian. But not a few have discovered the insufficiency of a humanistic ethic that denies the inner spiritual dimension of life. These people have moved in considerable numbers into the realms of occult speculation and practice using meditation techniques derived from Eastern sources that by-pass the rational mind and the sphere of moral values. As a result they speak glibly about spiritual things and indulge in vain metaphysical speculations, but they remain painfully undeveloped as persons. Nor will they ever develop in this lifetime until they dedicate themselves to the greater themes of universal religion: the building of the person, the transfiguration and resurrection of the world, and the salvation of the created universe. These themes cannot be approached by psychism, but only by true religion.
One can deduce from this that techniques for developing the inner life are as likely to cause harm as good, unless the person is dedicated to the quest for God before he begins. And this dedication is no theoretical attitude; it is shown by self-giving service in the world in whatever situation the aspirant finds himself. The dedicated person will never be alone. He will find someone further on the path to help him. Such is the spiritual director or the guru. "When the pupil is ready, the master appears". He is not to be obsessively sought; if one is doing the right work, the Holy Spirit will direct one to him. He is known by his unobtrusive modesty, his sanctity, and his outflowing love. And he is merely the way-shower. When his function is completed, he retires into the shadows, and his pupil now assumes his mantle. The story of the translation of Elijah and the falling of his mantle on to Elisha typifies the master-pupil relationship (2 Kings 2:1-14).
Knowledge leads us from faith to a scientific understanding of the world around us. The highest knowledge informs us of the impossibility of ever comprehending the world, or even ourselves, by the use of the naked intellect, or reason. It is then that wisdom begins; this is knowledge fertilised by awe in face of the mystery of creation. And this awe is consummated in a way of knowing that is no longer restricted to rational categories of thought, but transcends the reason without denying it. This is the non-rational approach to reality. I repeat, it does not contradict reason - if so it would be irrational and demonic - but it extends our reason through understanding gained from reaches of the mind that are far beyond consecutive thought. The psychical and spiritual realms are finally opened to us, and they inform us of relationships that lie beyond anything that the reason can penetrate.
The final relationship is love - a complete self-giving to the totality of existence. This is unitive knowledge, and it proceeds from God Who transcends all relationships and in Whom all relationships are held together. The coincidence of love and wisdom is the highest category that the human mind can conceive. It is a union of the head and the heart, and is the nearest man can approach to the divine mystery.
The Way of Spiritual Gifts and their Danger
I have already noted that, as a person progresses on the path to divine knowledge, so various psychic gifts may be bestowed on him. This is as it should be. The spiritual law is, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33). Gifts bestowed on an aspiring person are a proof of God's grace. They are beacons of encouragement to the aspirant, and a blessing to the world around him, because he uses these gifts with self-effacement and wisdom. He has no need for personal power inasmuch as he is in receipt of divine power, a power which the servant uses to raise the fallen creatures around him. The gifts of the Spirit are defined in detail by St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 12: wise speech (wisdom), putting the deepest knowledge into words, faith of an unusually intense degree, healing gifts, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing true spirits from false (the discernment of spirits), ecstatic utterance (tongues), and the ability to interpret that utterance.
Now most of these gifts are psychic in nature, and can be demonstrated by people who are not necessarily dedicated to the spiritual path; this applies particularly to some of the healing gifts and some aspects of "miraculous" powers. Some gifts may occur at an early stage of spiritual awakening - this applies particularly to tongues of ecstatic utterance and their interpretation. Others, like the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, and prophecy, occur at a more advanced level and are particularly to be esteemed. Though every gift is of the Holy Spirit, St. Paul makes it clear that spectacular utterances of ecstasy are amongst the least exalted inasmuch as they are essentially private testimonies unless they can be reliably interpreted by someone else (1 Corinthians 14:1-19).
Psychic gifts are the hallmark of the Charismatic Movement which is sweeping through most of the main Christian denominations at present. This pentecostal renewal is generally to be welcomed, for it has, as I said already, put new life into the rather staid, unimaginative worship of the church. Its keynote is joy, which is rare amongst conventional churchgoers. It has led to a greater sense of community and more love amongst its members. But its danger is obvious. It tends to exalt those who believe they have been baptised into the Spirit, and gives them an aura of superiority. The divisive nature of the Charismatic Movement is notorious; whole congregations have been split asunder by it. And yet it is also breaking down denominational barriers and effecting an ecumenism that only the Holy Spirit can give (Ephesians 4:3). In this dichotomy we can see both the dangers of spiritual gifts in immature individuals and their larger benefits in the hands of loving people.
The danger of any gift of the Spirit is that it inflates the personality of the recipient without integrating it. This applies no less strongly to the psychic powers inherent in Spiritualism than to the spiritual gifts of Pentecostalism. It is interesting that the Pentecostalist deprecates Spiritualism, asserting that all alleged powers deriving from the psychic realm are of demonic origin. On the other hand, he believes his own gifts are from the Holy Spirit and therefore impeccable in quality. The convinced Spiritualist, on the other hand, attributes his powers to exalted "guides" on the other side of life, whom he tends to magnify almost to divine eminence. The one feature these diametrically opposed views have in common is a conviction of their own infallibility. The source, whether it be the Holy Spirit Himself or a great spirit "guide," has the whole answer. The danger of arrogance, intolerance, and above all superstition and ignorance is very great.
There is a deep longing in most of us for some source above ourselves, whether we call it God or some supernatural entity, that will guide us and make our work prosper. I personally believe that all gifts come from the Holy Spirit, and are therefore charismatic, but that they often infuse highly fallible men who then colour the gift with their own personality. It follows therefore that until the personality is becoming integrated around the centre of the soul where God is known, any gifts that may be made manifest in that person will tend to exalt him above his fellows. This is called psychic inflation: it is of almost universal prevalence amongst practitioners of Spiritualism, and it leads to disaster when the "guide" in due course fails. In the instance of the undeveloped Spiritualist and Pentecostalist, the exaltation of the personality can move beyond mere psychic inflation to spiritual pride, the deadliest of all sins. Such a person looks down on others (for he alone "knows"), judges and condemns all and sundry, and is generally so enamoured with himself and his gifts that he begins quite unwittingly to identify himself with God.
Apart from the personal hazards of psychic inflation and spiritual pride, abused spiritual gifts weaken the power of judgment, inasmuch as they are given undue precedence over the rational side of the personality. They also override the freedom of the awakened will. It is a painful fact of life that our difficulties are overcome by slow, arduous toil using every part of the personality. There is no magic way of release, only a path of hope through sacrifice: Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). He promises relief through the abundant life He came to show us, but He does not offer magic solutions. The problem is solved by the divine-human collaboration, not by God's miraculous intervention.
All this is particularly pertinent to the healing gifts of the Spirit. There is no real healing that comes by a dramatic psychic gesture, whether it is effected by a Spiritualist or a Pentecostalist. True healing infuses the whole of the person; it cannot by-pass the body and its natural functions, nor can it disregard the mind, or psyche. In other words, all healing has a medical and psychological component, which in man's present state of evolution is pre-eminent. This is assuredly not the whole of healing, but it is at least the beginning of the process. The more experienced charismatic healer usually acknowledges the importance of the medical practitioner and psychotherapist, and tries to work in collaboration with them. This is where the Church's Ministry of Healing could be so useful in providing a respected forum in which the scientist and the charismatic could work together. At present the scientist tends to regard the charismatic healer with a mixture of suspicion and contempt due to an unacknowledged hostility towards and fear of anything that threatens his limited view of reality. The Spiritualist and the Pentecostalist are often so full of their own knowledge (transmitted, in the case of the Spiritualist, by his "guide") that they have little time for any other point of view. Until the various insights of all the agencies of healing are regarded with dispassionate respect, the full range of salvation will remain unexplored. At present each agent is isolated in his own conceptual framework.
To sum up, let us exalt the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22). These are the proof of the Holy Spirit at work within the personality. It would be surprising if, as a result of the integration of the personality thus achieved, there was not a concomitant intellectual and psychic unfolding which manifested itself in the well-defined gifts of the Spirit. The least of these is the emotional release effected by non-rational prayer in tongues; the finest is the intellectual and spiritual synthesis made real in prophecy. But the greatest gifts of the Spirit are the ones attributed prophetically to the Messiah: wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2). To these piety is added in the Christian tradition. These seven gifts humble the person before the face of God. Then he is able to use the psychic gifts of the Spirit with impunity.
Authority and the Danger of Subjectivity
The nature of authority in the spiritual life is a fundamental question. All aspirants on the path would affirm that God alone was the authority whom they served and trusted - no matter how they conceived Him. But no man has ever seen God; at the most we are given glimpses of His nature. As the Bible says, the wonders of the physical universe testify to the glory of God, and yet these are but the fringe of His power; how faint is the whisper that we hear of Him, for who could fathom the thunder of His might? (Job 26:14).
There is no one infallible seat of authority below the heavenly throne, but in order of priority I would place the inner light of man (the spark of God placed deep within the soul) and the wisdom of the human race. This wisdom is compounded of three elements: a scriptural authority, an ecclesiastical tradition, and the fruits of reason that have accrued from the intellectual, artistic, and scientific achievements of past generations of men. In the end we have to obey the dictates of our own conscience, for God is eternally making all things new (Revelation 21:5). Every life is a milestone in the progress of the whole human race on the path to self-mastery and consecration of itself to God's service. We cannot turn back or find refuge in old formulae. This would be a real betrayal of the work of the Holy Spirit, Who, contrary to the belief of some Christians, did not end His work after the apostolic period, but is as active in the lives of men today as He was in those far-distant times. And His activity is primarily that of leading us into all truth. Whatever is of durable value in the scriptures, the tradition of the Church, or the later achievements of mankind has been directly inspired by the Holy Spirit. He has no favourites, but works indiscriminately amongst all those who are prepared to give up their lives to the service of the highest they can conceive; this may be scientific truth, aesthetic beauty, or self-transcending love. In this true aristocracy, the caste-mark is self-dedication to the highest that can be known through the reason. Where truth, beauty, and goodness coincide, there God will be recognised by the intellect. But He is never known intellectually. Unitive knowledge is supernatural; God gives Himself to those that know their need of Him (the poor in spirit), and the proof of this grace is the changed person who has received it.
This means that the person who gives of himself fully to life will reach a point where his personal intellectual endeavours will be overshadowed by something external to him. This is the cloud of unknowing. It will take him up into itself, and he will see that which is hidden from mortal sight, and comprehend that which lies beyond rational understanding. Then he will know the truth, the truth that sets him free (John 8:32). It is noteworthy that Jesus was recognised by the common people around Him to speak with a note of authority that was denied the doctors of the law (Mark 1:22). Their authority was scriptural and traditional - in itself unexceptionable - but it was not confirmed in their hearts. One begins to know and to speak with that inner authority when one's personality is cleansed in the refining fire of God's love, which comes, as I have already stated, to those who are giving themselves unstintingly to the world around them.
But how does the authentic inner voice of God differ from the merely subjective sensation of certitude to which we are all heir? This certitude may vary from a "hunch" about some future event - which may or may not be confirmed - to the expression of some deep inner prejudice of which we are scarcely aware. The most important difference between inner authority and subjectivity is that true authority does not boost, or inflate, one's personality. On the contrary, the person endued with true authority not only recognises his own unimportance in the scheme of things but is indeed oblivious of himself in his devotion to the Most High. Nor is he personally affronted by opposition or derision. On the other hand, subjectivity tends to exalt the person, making him feel rather special and, like the Pharisee in the famous parable, decidedly unlike other men (Luke 18:11).
The inner voice does not claim an authority that disregards or dispenses with the external sources of authority which guide men's lives: scripture, tradition, and reason. On the other hand, the fresh insights it affords illuminate these other sources of authority and bring them into clearer perspective. Jesus said, "think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil" (Matthew 5:17). Subjectivity has little time for sources of authority outside itself; it rightly sees in traditional wisdom a mortal enemy to be discountenanced at all costs. The most dangerous type of subjectivity is sectarian religious enthusiasm - the word itself literally means a state of possession by a god. The god that possesses the sectarian enthusiast is some doctrinal formulation, or a striking idea, or a psychic gift, but it is not the one God in whom we live, and move, and have our being. The sectarian enthusiast jettisons the painfully acquired authority of reason, often discarding precepts that have stood the test of time, simply because it conflicts with his private system of belief. He interprets scripture idiosyncratically, and fiercely attacks any church discipline outside his own revelation. Above all, he is devoid of love for people, but is devoted exclusively to his beliefs.
Subjectivity isolates the person progressively from his fellow men. They begin to feel uneasy in his presence, and are aware of his disturbed emotional state. The authority of the inner voice may be profoundly disturbing - as was the message of Jesus and the Prophets of Israel - but it is also invigorating and life-enhancing. It leads to profound self-searching, and the person emerges from its grim scrutiny cleaner and purer than before.
Subjectivity is personal, and proceeds by the assertiveness of the personal self. It is loud, assertive, and anxious for power over others. It seeks to justify itself. The authority from on high transcends personality, for it proceeds from the spirit of the soul. It is quiet, peaceful, and makes no attempt either to coerce others or to exalt itself. This is because it arises from God, Who is the source of all power. Far from imposing itself on others, it remains calm and at rest. It is, in fact, actively sought by those who understand reality. It does not lead the searcher into material prosperity, but it does show him the way to the abundant life.
There is a centre in us where truth can be discerned. It is the pearl of great price for which everything else we possess has to be sacrificed (Matthew 13:46). Our whole life should be dedicated to this greatest of all quests; its destination as well as its prime mover is God Himself. The external authorities of scripture, tradition, and reason are constant beacons on the path of self-discovery, which are disregarded at our peril. But in themselves they cannot take us to the throne of the heavenly grace; they are merely way-showers. If we rely on any of them without the illumination that proceeds from the inner light of the awakened soul, they will simply imprison us in limited modes of thought. The biblical fundamentalist interprets the scriptures according to the outdated thoughts of a primitive religious culture. The traditionalist hides beneath past forms to escape from the challenge of the Holy Spirit in his life. The rationalist will not quit the incarcerating palace of intellectual certitude to enter fresh fields of speculation and endeavour. Neither the fundamentalist, nor the traditionalist, nor the rationalist can escape from the imprisoning bonds of his particular conceptual system. This is the danger of obsessive objectivity, the enslavement of the person to an external source of authority.
The danger of subjectivity is that of overweening personal pride and a reliance of an inner "revelation" that may be delusive in quality and dictatorial in power. There are three sources of inner revelation: the unconscious part of the psyche (which is the commonest source, and often projects itself into consciousness in the form of an outer directive to action), psychic communication from an outside source, whether alive in the flesh or in the world beyond mortal death, and finally the voice of God. The last is obviously desirable, but the first two, though not to be discountenanced outright, are clearly of indeterminate nature. If one has the inner discernment to analyse the psychological and psychic components of subjective revelations, one can separate from them what is really beneficial. Thus the revelations that follow vivid dreams, which I have already discussed, are, in the great majority of instances, psychologically mediated, and can be very useful pointers to our unconscious attitudes. But they must be subordinate to the conscious mind, which can then analyse them. Psychic communication can on occasions be very beneficial and give us an indication of aspects of life beyond rational understanding. But once again it must be under the supervision of the conscious mind which should, through discernment, accept or reject the revelation according to its intrinsic merit.
Spiritual revelation never claims supremacy over the conscious mind. It is, by its very nature, supreme and the reason bows in reverence before it. It does not give us personal instruction or information, nor is it concerned about our individual well-being, material success, or prosperity, nor does it direct us into the most rewarding path. But it does infuse the whole personality with warmth, it integrates the personality around the "centre" of the soul (or the spirit), and it allows the person himself to decide his future in a mature, responsible way. It guides us by making us complete people; it does not dictate to us, and then leave us as incomplete and inadequate as before. In fact, the authority from the light of God transcends both the categories of subjectivity and objectivity. It is transpersonal, and its action is directed towards the fulfilment of true humanity in all mankind. It comes quite unobtrusively to many people at various times and in diverse ways as a sudden widening of spiritual vision, so that what was previously obscure in the scriptures, or confusing in the past course of their own lives, now takes on a new light and is illuminated with meaning.
One baneful defect victims of both extreme subjectivity and objectivity share is an obsessional fear that the basis of their belief will be shattered. When the Spiritualist's "guide" is disproved, or modern biblical criticism demolishes a fundamentalistic belief in the scriptures, or psychical research causes a materialistic view of life to founder, their various protagonists will fight bitterly against the inroads of disbelief. The results are no credit either to religious truth or scientific objectivity. Indeed, there is much subjectivity in even the most objective views of reality! On the other hand, the person who speaks with an inner authority that is divine in origin takes little thought for himself. He has moved beyond the point of coincidence of contradictory facts, and realises their resolution, not by emotion or intellect, but by a sense of humour that sees the absurdity of all dogmatic statements in a world that is beyond rational understanding. A sense of humour is an important quality of the mystic whatever his religious belief. It is seen in the intuitive solution of nonsensical riddles (koans) in the Zen Buddhist tradition, in the quaint and beautiful legends of the Hasidic rabbis of the eighteenth century, in the lives of St. Francis and St. Teresa, and in not a few of the retorts of Jesus - often taken with such straight faces by those who read the Gospel dutifully but unimaginatively.
Where there is an ebullient sense of humour, the Holy Spirit cannot be far away.
A Parable
There was a man whose life was dedicated to understanding the secrets of existence. He wanted to know the ultimate meaning of life. So he spent his time reading learned treatises on comparative religion. As these took him only a limited way, he dipped further into sources of occult lore, and consulted many men who were experts in this field. His desire to master the secret of life was overwhelming, and so he put himself into the hands of a master of the way. The master said, "Put your hands into this pair of gloves, and I will direct them to the very threshold of Deity."
And so the aspirant's hands were ensheathed in the gloves, and he was assuredly taken on a celestial journey. During its course the whole psychic world was revealed to him, the future was laid open, and also his past lives. Indeed, he knew everything there was to know about his origin and destiny. Eventually he felt the distinct impact of God Himself. Through his gloves he could sense the divine essence, and be aware of the very blueprint of creation. And yet he could never know God as the simplest mystic knew Him. How strange it was that he, a man who had been schooled in the most intricate occult techniques and had the whole of heaven in his head, was further from a knowledge of God than the unlettered people he had read about, who through no apparent merit of their own, had been given the impress of God's mighty love.
He tried harder and harder to come to know God, read more books, and went to other masters who taught him many more techniques. But they seemed to separate him from God and imprison him in an edifice of metaphysical speculation.
At last the time came for him to die, full of unimportant knowledge but as far from the divine wisdom as the most vapid hedonist or the most bigoted religionist. After he passed over into the life beyond death, he was confronted by a Master of real wisdom. He asked him why he had failed in his quest despite his intensive endeavours to attain eternal knowledge.
The reply was very simple:
"By love may He be gotten and holden, by thought never. He comes to us by the cloud of unknowing. The gloves you used separated you from unitive knowledge, for they symbolised personal desire and spiritual craving. Indeed, you acquired much knowledge, but it availed you nothing, as it was learnt second-hand and not attained by experience."
And so the poor man was born again, this time in a frail body with a humble child-like mind. His only sheath was his naked skin. He had no esoteric knowledge to console him. Indeed, his soul remembered just enough of the past to recoil, quite involuntarily, from any contact with occult teaching. He spent his life in the humiliation of suffering, and sacrificed himself for those in need. Faith alone sustained him in his precarious living, until a certain day, not long before he died, when God revealed Himself in the eternal brightness of His effulgent splendour.
He transmitted that splendour to all around him.