Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East

By Baird T. Spalding

Volume IV (Published 1948)

CHAPTER I

GREAT WHITE BROTHERHOOD AND WORLD PEACE

1. Before going further in the study of certain underlying laws and facts regarding the teachings of the Masters, it is well to consider the scope their vision covers. One must enlarge his mind and out-look upon life to that in which the Masters work in order to fully understand the full purport of their teachings. At this time we will deal chiefly with the field to be taken into consideration and the general trends of mankind in order that we may fully adapt ourselves to the work that is before us. It is necessary to know the nature and scope of a field of work before selecting the tools and laying down a plan for tending the field. We must know to what the field is adapted, what crops are to be raised, and to what end the cultivation is to be directed. There must be a purpose back of all work and it is far beyond the reaches of what we commonly call our own individual nature. Each man’s nature in one way and another is vitally associated with the life and well-being of every other individual in the world and what affects one must in some degree affect the rest of
2. I rather feel that this discussion of peace should be very general because everyone is The fact is that the world is becoming peace-minded and that people are saying that we have had enough of war. People are beginning to understand that war is not a natural condition and to understand that all those who assume the role of providence by setting themselves up as the embodiment of perfect Justice—the creators of Happiness—are only deceivers. Peace and Happiness, the heart’s desire of all Humanity is not a gift to be bestowed upon mankind, but has to be earned by honest effort. There is not such a thing as political miracles. Man has to realize that he alone has the power to work out his destiny with his own intelligence.
3. This sweeping tide of human interest in that which will promote and guarantee peace is the inevitable working out of the Universal Law which always moves to promote the common God is no respecter of persons and this awakening of men along peace lines is their response to the movement of the Spirit of Peace which is fostered by the Masters. Only as the individual identifies himself with Universal Law can he expect to find his individual good for it is inseparably united with the common good. For this reason, true progress is slow and suffering is great.
4. There is a great brotherhood throughout the world who have been working for peace for thousands of years. They are back of every movement for world peace and are becoming stronger and stronger all the time. There are now about 216 groups throughout the world. There is always one central unit as a first or centralizing body and twelve units which surround that unit, giving it more force and power. They are working also for the enlightenment of the whole world.
5. These groups are really composed of human beings who are actuated by the high thought of the White Brotherhood. All of these groups work together. There is a very strong thought coming to the whole world for peace and enlightenment as well.
6. There are many misconceptions regarding the White Brotherhood. It must first be understood that they never make themselves known as such, nor are they exclusively back of any outer organization or They are Universal in their function and purpose. They definitely work with the Universal Law to universal ends and any individual or group working toward the same ends without selfish or group motives many receive their full support. This support may be known on the part of the man but it is more likely to come in the form of an unknown stimulus. That is, the help is not likely to assume the form of that coming from any definite place or person. Those receiving this support are conscious only of the help or influence.
7. The League of Nations originally was an instrument of the White Brotherhood but it was misused in many ways by certain nations and individuals. It will, however, come back under the guidance of the Brotherhood some time in the future.
8. The birth of a new order is in process; we are witnessing right now the destruction of an old The White Brotherhood will assert itself positively on the most important issues when the time is propitious.
9. The time has come when there can be no halfway ground in this purification of the race, whether or not individuals or groups array themselves against the common good in this day. The mills of God grind swiftly at times and also finely. Only from the siftings shall the selfish and aggressively grasping rear a new life’s structure. It were far better to unify oneself with purely creative motives that contribute to universal good, for thereby shall good come to the
10. Often the influences working in Universal ideas come into being without much notice. It is something that seems to germinate and move forward as a contagion while the minds of many are still so engrossed in other things that they do not notice the change. Then, all of a sudden, each individual seems to realize that it has come into being and that it is in exact accord with his own secret thoughts. Thus, he very often slips into the new order rather The point is to be alert to these secretly developing forces within oneself and in the race, and here one will find the key to his most rapid progress and most vital service in the universal cause.
11. India has maintained peace by using methods identical to those used by these 216 groups about which I have spoken. It was brought about originally by twelve groups which have expanded and are still expanding. The influence of these bodies has been very great, entering into the whole fabric of Indian thought. Their work from the outer point of view has been largely educational. They release information orally which is acted upon under their Results prove the efficacy of this method.
12. Gandhi studied the situation of non-violence for twenty years before he began his work, becoming a very deep student of it. The principle has been in existence in India for 600 Because of the Untouchables it was made operative through Gandhi in this generation. Gandhi went among the Untouchables, teaching non-violence, making it an effective force. The younger generation took it up immediately. They recognized the great effect of it and it spread throughout all India. The younger generation now have brought it before the people stronger than ever. This will eventually result in the dissolution of the caste system. The Untouchables became quite an issue there as they numbered some 65,000,000 and guidance was necessary because they had such powerful influence. Gandhi has been almost entirely responsible for their present emancipation.
13. Those in the groups mentioned that are working for world peace are persons of a very high spiritual understanding. One man of each group is always prominent as one of spiritual
14. There are some sixty in the United States who definitely belong to this association. They are very quiet concerning their connection with it. They do not give out the place of their group meetings or any information concerning their
15. This is why many people are more or less incredulous concerning the great work being done by the illumined. They are so accustomed to outer show and display that they cannot imagine any great work being done in such a quiet, simple manner. But if one will stop to think for just a moment he will realize that all the motivating forces of the Universe are silent and those who work consciously with these forces move according to motives. There will come a time, however, when they will work more openly, but that will be when there are enough illumined people to know and understand just what they are doing. Study your own Are you not aware that silent influences working underneath the surface of your own being are those forces which control your life more than the outwardly manifest things which you express in words? However, just as these silent “broodings” of your own inner nature eventually find their outer expression when you are in an environment which harmonizes with them, you do not hesitate to express them. Study yourself and you will find everything working in you just as it is in the race. “What the Father sees in secret, He will reward you openly” is not an idle statement but it reveals the manner in which all things come into being in the outer world. To understand this fact will not only be to better understand yourself but also the manner of the universal spiritual work that is going on underneath the surface all the time. It is only through adapting oneself to this sort of conscious procedure that he will be able to clearly trace the workings of the Secret Brotherhood. Their activities are hidden only to those who do not discern the mode of accomplishment. We are accustomed to noise and display and the quiet yet most powerful forces in ourselves and the world about us go unnoticed. We follow the noisy people into bypaths and lose the path of life that moves in stillness through our own individual being.
16. This Brotherhood is not properly an organization, as anyone can belong who will work constructively either openly or silently for peace. It is rather an association of kindred They co-operate, in fact, with any association or organization that is for the benefit of mankind or the advancement of humanity.
17. The group in India works silently but it is its influence that brings these bodies together and co-ordinates their activities. It was the activity of this very group that brought the Nobel Peace Prize before the
18. Tolstoy was a great factor in making this principle practically effective. But it has always been presented through the nine rulers of India. Tolstoy was an advanced soul. He was working with the great Central Group all the
19. While no one knows its exact location, that Thirteenth Group has always been a very dominant factor in world education. That group of twelve are working in every educational center in the
20. These groups are not an organization here or anywhere that makes propaganda for world It was seen that the spoken word, or the silent word, when sent out to the world, was of far greater influence than the written word. The written word can be garbled. The spoken word is an ever-expanding and ever-increasing influence.
21. Here again is the wisdom of the wise which has always been in evidence. So long as constructive forces work in “secret” they grow unnoticed by those who would destroy their The world does not realize the advance of the Constructive Force until it has already undermined the sordid structures of the selfish and self-seeking and then it is too late. At the time of such helpless disintegration, and only then, are the activities of the Brotherhood likely to come out into the open to strengthen the Truth in the minds of all the people. This is not done through fear of attack but through knowledge of the most powerful way to bring about any great constructive movement for world betterment. The selfish have no access to it.
22. In a sense, all those who are working for India’s freedom or for the freedom and peace of the world are Avatars, as the Western World looks at the Avatars. Many of the Great Ones have been disseminating this teaching for thousands of years. Jesus has been and is working definitely for the betterment of the whole
23. The reason many people in the Western World do not recognize the work of Avatars is that they can conceive of them only as working on the surface, saying and doing spectacular and miraculous things in public. They do not know that the true miracles are always worked out in silence
24. Regarding arbitration as an instrument for world peace, this movement was started in the Punjab of India. It is a powerful instrument of world peace. It has completely outlawed India never did use an aggressive attitude, never did encourage open warfare in that territory at all, and the Punjab was the greatest influence back of this whole movement. It has been maintained throughout India for about three thousand years. Non-aggression and arbitration have been proved practical.
25. J. Bryan, consciously or unconsciously actuated by the silent influence, succeeded in getting peace treaties with all but four nations. So far no national character has since dared to take up his work. It will be taken up again some day in the future with the forming of a board of men, unknown to the outer world, that will have complete authority from the peace societies and groups working unselfishly for world peace.
26. If all the financial world were to get behind this movement for unity, it would be the greatest influence for peace. There could then be no finances for war. It could be impossible to finance war and hence there could be no war. If the cooperative system should be adopted universally, there could be no booms and no more depressions. It would also be of great influence in the abolition of war. As a matter of fact, cooperation is coming into existence. The people who do not cooperate and align themselves with the new order will be outlawed
27. Following this spreading tendency to outlaw war, people will have their eyes opened to the causes of war, which are in the sole promotion of group or national The practice of non-cooperation will also be outlawed as a contributing cause of war. This brings the whole thing right down to the individual and each one must outlaw his own selfishness and self-seeking at the expense of others. He as an individual will find that the best way to promote his own interest is to promote the common interest and the only way to preserve his own good is to preserve the good of the whole. This silent tendency is now being awakened on a broad scale. But each individual must find its beginning in himself and one who will earnestly search his own soul will find the embryo of this movement increasing in his own nature every day. Spreading from individual to individual it will grow into a mighty world movement and will be the ultimate motive in all human activities. Just as the individual who does not obey this eternal trend of his inner nature is destroyed, so will such groups, institutions, religious organizations, races and nations be disintegrated, leaving the world for those who love the law of God and live that law in relationship to every other man and nation.
28. In all modern movements it is clearly revealed that the changes must be first in the individual for, unless his own nature is properly correlated with the movement back of outer conduct, he becomes a disintegrating factor in any movement that might otherwise accomplish untold good. One can scarcely do anything in the way of accomplishing universal peace until he has found peace within his own nature and he cannot find peace in his own nature until he has been long enough truly in touch with the unseen forces which move toward the common
29. There is no question but that the individual first must be at peace. Not only that but he must realize what it means to the individual as well as to the nation. If he is centralized in that idea of peace, he projects that influence and he becomes one of the great moving factors of the spiritual development of the age. The peace movement is one of the most definite factors toward spiritual enlightenment as well.

30. Politics will be broken down completely with this new system that is coming. But, so long as the present political set-up endures, no really effective program can be launched and carried to a successful conclusion. Everyone who keeps in step with the trend of the times is receiving all the help he is capable of receiving from these higher forces. Some of them receive this help consciously, some unconsciously, but nevertheless the help is there. Some have gone so far that they know and acknowledge this
31. Political parties, in the working out of the underneath movement of constructive forces, will probably merge into one great party for greater simplicity of government. These changes must come through our party system, moving into single chamber legislation and not “A house divided against itself shall fall.” That will eradicate a great many of our political evils. This will all originate within the States due to changes brought about there. It is coming as a national movement in the United States.
32. PEACE IS HERE! When we relate ourselves definitely to that Principle, it makes us a working

FOR THE TEACHER

Paragraph 1. It should be clearly developed in the beginning of this study that the people generally need a new perspective in the matter of spiritual progress. We have for the most part been pursuing the whole subject as that of bearing entirely upon the body and the things which we imagine the body should have. In reality, all the body is and has depends upon something infinitely beyond these.

Paragraph 2. Show by further illustration, if possible, how the general reaction of the people is in the direction of peace and that back of this is the coming of the purpose of the Universe, or God.

Paragraph 3. Show your students how this peace movement which is springing up is identical with their own ideals, awakening them to the fact that they are inwardly actuated by Universal movements that are the objectives of all the illumined.

Paragraphs 4 to 12. Show how brotherhood comes into being through obedience to innermost impulses toward general betterment and that the difference between one’s relationship to another in a sense of unity and the relationship of the White Brotherhood to the whole is but the difference in the degree to which they are actuated by these deeper impulses.

Paragraphs 13 and 14 doubtless will stand in your presentation much as they are unless your knowledge includes much that is only referred to lightly in these paragraphs.

Paragraph 15, 16. This should make clear why it is impossible for the average individual to understand why the Masters do not appear in the open with their work. Whole volumes could profitably be written along this line. It is the very reason that you sometimes do not venture to express your opinions even within your own home. You know as long as you are silent you have no opposition but once you have spoken the whole thing is open to controversy. Then again, you feel the right time comes to speak and it is all acceptable and everyone cooperates. What moves in the Universe also moves within man. To know himself in some of these most simple things is his key to great understanding and power.

Paragraphs 17 to 26. The motive is much the same and is but further emphasis upon the importance of silent cooperative work in the positive realization that the great Creative Spirit is working through all men in some degree; and the important thing so far as we are concerned is that we make it a more vital issue in our own lives.

Paragraphs 27 to 32 afford additional opportunity for amplification along the foregoing lines and can become a vital factor in liberating the people to progress. Teach the people to expect and prepare for changes. Become sensitive to the changes now moving underneath the political and economical structure. The change that will liberate is not in any of these outer forms but is in the hearts of men.

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