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RODAN OF ALEXANDRIA
POGLAVLJE 160 : RODAN IZ ALEKSANDRIJE
1955 160:0.1 ON SUNDAY morning, September 18, Andrew announced that no work would be planned for the coming week. All of the apostles, except Nathaniel and Thomas, went home to visit their families or to sojourn with friends. This week Jesus enjoyed a period of almost complete rest, but Nathaniel and Thomas were very busy with their discussions with a certain Greek philosopher from Alexandria named Rodan. This Greek had recently become a disciple of Jesus through the teaching of one of Abner’s associates who had conducted a mission at Alexandria. Rodan was now earnestly engaged in the task of harmonizing his philosophy of life with Jesus’ new religious teachings, and he had come to Magadan hoping that the Master would talk these problems over with him. He also desired to secure a firsthand and authoritative version of the gospel from either Jesus or one of his apostles. Though the Master declined to enter into such a conference with Rodan, he did receive him graciously and immediately directed that Nathaniel and Thomas should listen to all he had to say and tell him about the gospel in return.
2014 160:0.1 U NEDJELJU ujutro18. rujna, Andrija je objavio da predstojećeg tjedna nisu planirali nikakve aktivnosti. Svi su apostoli, osim Natanija i Tome, otišli u posjet svojim obiteljima ili prijateljima. Isus je taj tjedan uživao u razdoblju gotovo potpunog odmora, dok su Natanije i Tomo bili zauzeti raspravama s jednim grčkim filozofom iz Aleksandrije po imenu Rodan. Ovaj je Grk nedavno postao Isusov sljedbenik kroz učenja jednog od Abnerovih suradnika koji je vodio misiju u Aleksandriji. Rodan je trenutno bio ozbiljno zaokupljen nastojanjem da uskladi svoju životnu filozofiju s Isusovim novim religioznim učenjima i on je došao u Magadan u nadi da će s Učiteljem raspraviti ove probleme. Također je želio iz prve ruke osigurati autoritativnu verziju evanđelja od bilo Isusa ili jednog od apostola. Iako je Gospodin odbio ući u raspravu s Rodanom, ljubazno mu se obratio i odmah odredio da Natanije i Tomo saslušaju sve što je ovaj imao reći i da mu zauzvrat kažu o evanđelju.
¶ 1. RODANOVA GRČKA FILOZOFIJA
1. RODAN’S GREEK PHILOSOPHY
1. RODANOVA GRČKA FILOZOFIJA
1955 160:1.1 Early Monday morning, Rodan began a series of ten addresses to Nathaniel, Thomas, and a group of some two dozen believers who chanced to be at Magadan. These talks, condensed, combined, and restated in modern phraseology, present the following thoughts for consideration:
2014 160:1.1 Rano u ponedjeljak ujutro, Rodan je započeo prvo od deset obraćanja Nataniji, Tomi i grupi od nekih dvadesetak vjernika koji su se slučajno našli u Magadanu. Ti su razgovori, sažeti, povezani i izraženi suvremenim jezikom, sadržavali sljedeće ideje za razmatranje:
1955 160:1.2 Human life consists in three great drives—urges, desires, and lures. Strong character, commanding personality, is only acquired by converting the natural urge of life into the social art of living, by transforming present desires into those higher longings which are capable of lasting attainment, while the commonplace lure of existence must be transferred from one’s conventional and established ideas to the higher realms of unexplored ideas and undiscovered ideals.
2014 160:1.2 Ljudski život se sastoji od tri glavna podstreka - poriva, žudnji i primama. Čovjek može izgraditi snažan karakter, dominantnu ličnost, samo ako prevede prirodni nagon života u društveno umijeće življenja, ako pretvori želje sadašnjice u te više čežnje koje su trajno ostvarive i ako u isto vrijeme prenese svakodnevne primame egzistencije iz općeprihvaćenih i duboko uvriježenih ideja u ta viša područja neistraženih ideja i neotkrivenih ideala.
1955 160:1.3 The more complex civilization becomes, the more difficult will become the art of living. The more rapid the changes in social usage, the more complicated will become the task of character development. Every ten generations mankind must learn anew the art of living if progress is to continue. And if man becomes so ingenious that he more rapidly adds to the complexities of society, the art of living will need to be remastered in less time, perhaps every single generation. If the evolution of the art of living fails to keep pace with the technique of existence, humanity will quickly revert to the simple urge of living—the attainment of the satisfaction of present desires. Thus will humanity remain immature; society will fail in growing up to full maturity.
2014 160:1.3 Što je složenija civilizacija, to je teže ovladati umijećem življenja. Što su brže promjene u društvenoj praksi, složeniji postaje rad na izgradnji karaktera. Kako bi se osigurao napredak, čovječanstvo mora iznova ovladati umijećem življenja svakih deset generacija. A ako čovjek postane tako dovitljiv da još više doprinese složenosti društva, bit će potrebno ovladati umijećem življenja u još kraćem vremenu, možda u svakoj pojedinoj generaciji. Ako evolucija umijeća življenja ne uspije održati korak s vještinom egzistencije, čovječanstvo će se ubrzo vratiti prostim porivima življenja - zadovoljenju želja sadašnjice. Čovječanstvo će tako ostati nezrelo; društvo neće uspjeti odrasti u punu zrelost.
1955 160:1.4 Social maturity is equivalent to the degree to which man is willing to surrender the gratification of mere transient and present desires for the entertainment of those superior longings the striving for whose attainment affords the more abundant satisfactions of progressive advancement toward permanent goals. But the true badge of social maturity is the willingness of a people to surrender the right to live peaceably and contentedly under the ease-promoting standards of the lure of established beliefs and conventional ideas for the disquieting and energy-requiring lure of the pursuit of the unexplored possibilities of the attainment of undiscovered goals of idealistic spiritual realities.
2014 160:1.4 Društvena zrelost odgovara stupnju čovjekove spremnosti da se odrekne zadovoljenja posve prolaznih i trenutačnih želja i da se posveti uzvišenijim čežnjama čije ostvarenje donosi obilnija zadovoljstva progresivnog napretka prema trajnim ciljevima. Ali istinsko obilježje društvene zrelosti je spremnost naroda da se odrekne prava na miran i udoban život pod pokrićem lagodnih normi i duboko uvriježenih vjerovanja i konvencija, u ime uznemirujuće i zamorne primame traganja za neistraženim mogućnostima postizanja neotkrivenih ciljeva idealističkih duhovnih stvarnosti.
1955 160:1.5 Animals respond nobly to the urge of life, but only man can attain the art of living, albeit the majority of mankind only experience the animal urge to live. Animals know only this blind and instinctive urge; man is capable of transcending this urge to natural function. Man may elect to live upon the high plane of intelligent art, even that of celestial joy and spiritual ecstasy. Animals make no inquiry into the purposes of life; therefore they never worry, neither do they commit suicide. Suicide among men testifies that such beings have emerged from the purely animal stage of existence, and to the further fact that the exploratory efforts of such human beings have failed to attain the artistic levels of mortal experience. Animals know not the meaning of life; man not only possesses capacity for the recognition of values and the comprehension of meanings, but he also is conscious of the meaning of meanings—he is self-conscious of insight.
2014 160:1.5 Životinje plemenito reagiraju na životni nagon, ali samo čovjek može postići umijeće življenja, iako većina ljudi doživi samo životinjski poriv življenja. Životinje poznaju samo ovaj slijepi i instinktivni nagon; čovjek je u stanju nadvladati taj poriv prema prirodnom djelovanju. Čovjek može izabrati da živi na višoj ravnini inteligentnog umijeća, čak i nebeske radosti i duhovne ekstaze. Životinje ne pitaju koja je svrha života; one tako ne brinu, niti počine samoubojstvo. Samoubojstvo među ljudima svjedoči da su se ljudska bića izdigla iz čisto životinjskog stupnja egzistencije, te dalje da istraživački napori takvih ljudi nisu uspjeli dostići umjetničke razine smrtnog iskustva.Životinje ne znaju smisao života; čovjek ne samo da posjeduje kapacitet za opažanje vrijednosti i shvaćanje značenja, on je svjestan značenja značenja - on je svjestan vlastitog uvida.
1955 160:1.6 When men dare to forsake a life of natural craving for one of adventurous art and uncertain logic, they must expect to suffer the consequent hazards of emotional casualties—conflicts, unhappiness, and uncertainties—at least until the time of their attainment of some degree of intellectual and emotional maturity. Discouragement, worry, and indolence are positive evidence of moral immaturity. Human society is confronted with two problems: attainment of the maturity of the individual and attainment of the maturity of the race. The mature human being soon begins to look upon all other mortals with feelings of tenderness and with emotions of tolerance. Mature men view immature folks with the love and consideration that parents bear their children.
2014 160:1.6 Kad se ljudi usude odreći života prirodne žudnje u ime pustolovne umjetnosti i neizvjesne logike, oni trebaju očekivati da će postati žrtve emocionalnih rizika - sukoba, nezadovoljstava i nesigurnosti - barem dok ne postignu neki stupanj intelektualne i emocionalne zrelosti.Obeshrabrenost, zabrinutost i lijenost su čvrsti dokaz moralne nezrelosti. Ljudsko društvo je suočeno s dva problema: postizanjem zrelosti pojedinca i postizanjem zrelosti rase. Zrelo ljudsko biće brzo počinje promatrati sve ostale smrtnike s osjećajima nježnosti i emocijama tolerancije. Zreli ljudi promatraju nezreo narod s ljubavi i obzirom roditelja prema djeci.
1955 160:1.7 Successful living is nothing more or less than the art of the mastery of dependable techniques for solving common problems. The first step in the solution of any problem is to locate the difficulty, to isolate the problem, and frankly to recognize its nature and gravity. The great mistake is that, when life problems excite our profound fears, we refuse to recognize them. Likewise, when the acknowledgment of our difficulties entails the reduction of our long-cherished conceit, the admission of envy, or the abandonment of deep-seated prejudices, the average person prefers to cling to the old illusions of safety and to the long-cherished false feelings of security. Only a brave person is willing honestly to admit, and fearlessly to face, what a sincere and logical mind discovers.
2014 160:1.7 Uspješno življenje nije ništa drugo nego umijeće ovladavanja pouzdanim vještinama rješavanja svakodnevnih problema. Prvi korak u rješavanju bilo kojeg problema je lociranje poteškoće, izoliranje problema i iskreno priznanje njegove prirode i težine. Velika pogreška je to što mi odbijemo prepoznati životne probleme koji pobude naše duboke strahove. Isto tako, ako priznanje poteškoća podrazumijeva odricanje naše dugo njegovane umišljenosti, priznanje zavisti i odbacivanje duboko ukorijenjenih predrasuda, prosječna osoba se više voli držati starih iluzija sigurnosti i dugo njegovanih lažnih osjećaja sigurnosti.Samo je hrabra osoba spremna iskreno priznati i bez straha se suočiti s otkrićima iskrenog i logičnog uma.
1955 160:1.8 The wise and effective solution of any problem demands that the mind shall be free from bias, passion, and all other purely personal prejudices which might interfere with the disinterested survey of the actual factors that go to make up the problem presenting itself for solution. The solution of life problems requires courage and sincerity. Only honest and brave individuals are able to follow valiantly through the perplexing and confusing maze of living to where the logic of a fearless mind may lead. And this emancipation of the mind and soul can never be effected without the driving power of an intelligent enthusiasm which borders on religious zeal. It requires the lure of a great ideal to drive man on in the pursuit of a goal which is beset with difficult material problems and manifold intellectual hazards.
2014 160:1.8 Mudro i učinkovito rješenje svih problema zahtijeva um koji ne pati od predrasuda, strasti i svih drugih posve osobnih pristranosti koje ometaju nepristranu procjenu istinskih činitelja koji ulaze u sklop tog problema. Rješenje životnih problema zahtijeva hrabrost i iskrenost. Samo poštena i hrabra osoba može hrabro ići zamršenim i zbunjujućim labirintom življenja, za logikom neustrašivog uma. A to oslobođenje uma i duše se ne može izvesti bez pokretačke snage snažnog i inteligentnog entuzijazma koji graniči s religioznom gorljivosti. Samo primama visokog ideala može navesti čovjeka u potragu za ciljem koji je opsjednut teškim materijalnim problemima i mnogostrukim intelektualnim opasnostima.
1955 160:1.9 Even though you are effectively armed to meet the difficult situations of life, you can hardly expect success unless you are equipped with that wisdom of mind and charm of personality which enable you to win the hearty support and co-operation of your fellows. You cannot hope for a large measure of success in either secular or religious work unless you can learn how to persuade your fellows, to prevail with men. You simply must have tact and tolerance.
2014 160:1.9 Iako ste učinkovito opremljeni za susret s teškim životnim situacijama, teško da možete očekivati uspjeh osim ako imate tu mudrost uma i šarm ličnosti koji će vam omogućiti da osigurate srdačnu podršku i suradnju svojih bližnjih. Ne možete se nadati velikoj mjeri uspjeha u bilo svjetovnom ili religioznom radu ako ne budete znali pridobiti svoje bližnje, prevladati nad ljudima. Jednostavno morate imati takt i toleranciju.
1955 160:1.10 But the greatest of all methods of problem solving I have learned from Jesus, your Master. I refer to that which he so consistently practices, and which he has so faithfully taught you, the isolation of worshipful meditation. In this habit of Jesus’ going off so frequently by himself to commune with the Father in heaven is to be found the technique, not only of gathering strength and wisdom for the ordinary conflicts of living, but also of appropriating the energy for the solution of the higher problems of a moral and spiritual nature. But even correct methods of solving problems will not compensate for inherent defects of personality or atone for the absence of the hunger and thirst for true righteousness.
2014 160:1.10 Ali najbolju metodu za rješavanje problema naučio sam od Isusa, vašeg Učitelja. Govorim o onome što on tako dosljedno prakticira i čemu vas je tako odano učio, osami meditacije i obožavanja. U tom Isusovom običaju čestog traženja osame i duhovnog zajedništva s nebeskim Ocem vidim tehniku za skupljanje snage i mudrosti ne samo za obične sukobe življenja, već i za upijanje energije za rješavanje većih problema moralne i duhovne prirode. No, čak ni ispravne metode rješavanja problema ne mogu nadoknaditi usađene nedostatke ličnosti ili iskupiti čovjeka koji nema gladi i žeđi za istinskom ispravnosti.
1955 160:1.11 I am deeply impressed with the custom of Jesus in going apart by himself to engage in these seasons of solitary survey of the problems of living; to seek for new stores of wisdom and energy for meeting the manifold demands of social service; to quicken and deepen the supreme purpose of living by actually subjecting the total personality to the consciousness of contacting with divinity; to grasp for possession of new and better methods of adjusting oneself to the ever-changing situations of living existence; to effect those vital reconstructions and readjustments of one’s personal attitudes which are so essential to enhanced insight into everything worth while and real; and to do all of this with an eye single to the glory of God—to breathe in sincerity your Master’s favorite prayer, “Not my will, but yours, be done.”
2014 160:1.11 Duboko sam impresioniran Isusovim običajem traženja osame u ovim razdobljima tihe i samotne procjene životnih problema; potrage za novim zalihama mudrosti i energije za mnogobrojne zahtjeve društvene službe; revitaliziranja i produbljenja vrhovnog smisla življenja iskrenim podvrgavanjem ukupne ličnosti svijesti kontakta s božanskim; posegom za novim i boljim metodama prilagođavanja mijenjajućim situacijama svakodnevne egzistencije; sprovedbi tih vitalnih rekonstrukcija i prilagodbi osobnih stavova koji su tako bitni za dublji uvid u sve što je vrijedno i stvarno; i sve to težeći slavi Boga - dok iskreno ponavlja omiljenu molitvu vašeg Učitelja: "Ne moja volja, nego tvoja neka bude."
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1955 160:1.12 This worshipful practice of your Master brings that relaxation which renews the mind; that illumination which inspires the soul; that courage which enables one bravely to face one’s problems; that self-understanding which obliterates debilitating fear; and that consciousness of union with divinity which equips man with the assurance that enables him to dare to be Godlike. The relaxation of worship, or spiritual communion as practiced by the Master, relieves tension, removes conflicts, and mightily augments the total resources of the personality. And all this philosophy, plus the gospel of the kingdom, constitutes the new religion as I understand it.
2014 160:1.12 Ovaj običaj obožavanja, kako ga prakticira vaš Učitelj, donosi tu opuštenost koja obnavlja um; to prosvjetljenje koje inspirira dušu; tu hrabrost koja navodi čovjeka da se hrabo suoči sa svojim problemima; to samorazumijevanje koje uništava sputavajući strah; i tu svijest jedinstva s božanskim koja čovjeku daje uvjerenje s kojim se može usuditi da bude poput Boga. Opuštanje obožavanja, to duhovno zajedništvo koje Učitelj prakticira, ublažava napetost, uklanja sukobe i snažno povećava ukupne resurse ličnosti. A sva ta filozofija, plus evanđelje kraljevstva, predstavlja novu religiju kako je ja razumijem.
1955 160:1.13 Prejudice blinds the soul to the recognition of truth, and prejudice can be removed only by the sincere devotion of the soul to the adoration of a cause that is all-embracing and all-inclusive of one’s fellow men. Prejudice is inseparably linked to selfishness. Prejudice can be eliminated only by the abandonment of self-seeking and by substituting therefor the quest of the satisfaction of the service of a cause that is not only greater than self, but one that is even greater than all humanity—the search for God, the attainment of divinity. The evidence of maturity of personality consists in the transformation of human desire so that it constantly seeks for the realization of those values which are highest and most divinely real.
2014 160:1.13 Predrasuda zasljepljuje dušu u opažanju istine i može se ukloniti samo iskrenom posvetom duše obožavanju nečega što obuhvaća i uključuje sve bližnje. Predrasuda je uvijek vezana za sebičnost. Predrasuda se može ukloniti samo ako se čovjek odrekne sebičnosti i krene u potragu za radostima služenja nečemu što je veće ne samo od njega samoga, već i od cijelog čovječanstva - traganju za Bogom, postizanju božanstvenosti. Dokaz zrelosti ličnosti počiva u preobrazbi ljudske želje koja počinje težiti ostvarenju tih vrijednosti koje su najviše i najbožanstvenije stvarne.
1955 160:1.14 In a continually changing world, in the midst of an evolving social order, it is impossible to maintain settled and established goals of destiny. Stability of personality can be experienced only by those who have discovered and embraced the living God as the eternal goal of infinite attainment. And thus to transfer one’s goal from time to eternity, from earth to Paradise, from the human to the divine, requires that man shall become regenerated, converted, be born again; that he shall become the re-created child of the divine spirit; that he shall gain entrance into the brotherhood of the kingdom of heaven. All philosophies and religions which fall short of these ideals are immature. The philosophy which I teach, linked with the gospel which you preach, represents the new religion of maturity, the ideal of all future generations. And this is true because our ideal is final, infallible, eternal, universal, absolute, and infinite.
2014 160:1.14 U svijetu neprestane promjene, usred evoluirajućeg društvenog poretka, nemoguće je održati jasno definirane i čvrsto ustanovljene ciljeve sudbine. Stabilnost ličnosti mogu doživjeti samo oni koji su otkrili i prihvatili živog Boga kao vječni cilj beskonačnog postignuća. A kako bi preveo svoje ciljeve od vremena do vječnosti, od zemlje do Raja, od ljudskog do božanskog, čovjek se mora obnoviti, obratiti, nanovno roditi; mora biti iznova stvoren kao dijete božanskog duha; mora ući u bratstvo nebeskog kraljevstva. Sve filozofije i religije koje ne posjeduju ove ideale su nezrele. Filozofija koju ja učim, zajedno s evanđeljem koje vi propovijedate, predstavlja novu religiju zrelosti, ideal svih budućih generacija. To je istina zato što je naš ideal vrhunski, nepogrešiv, vječan, sveopći, apsolutan i beskonačan.
1955 160:1.15 My philosophy gave me the urge to search for the realities of true attainment, the goal of maturity. But my urge was impotent; my search lacked driving power; my quest suffered from the absence of certainty of directionization. And these deficiencies have been abundantly supplied by this new gospel of Jesus, with its enhancement of insights, elevation of ideals, and settledness of goals. Without doubts and misgivings I can now wholeheartedly enter upon the eternal venture.
2014 160:1.15 Moja me filozofija navodila na traženje stvarnosti istinskog postignuća, cilj zrelosti. Ali moj je nagon bio nemoćan; moja je potraga patila od nedostatka sigurnosti usmjerenja. Svi ovi nedostaci su obilno nadopunjeni onim novim evanđeljem Isusa, s njegovim unaprijeđenjem spoznaja, povišenjem ideala i ustaljenjem ciljeva. Bez sumnje i bojazni sada svim srcem idem u vječni pothvat.
¶ 2. UMIJEĆE ŽIVLJENJA
2. THE ART OF LIVING
2. UMIJEĆE ŽIVLJENJA
1955 160:2.1 There are just two ways in which mortals may live together: the material or animal way and the spiritual or human way. By the use of signals and sounds animals are able to communicate with each other in a limited way. But such forms of communication do not convey meanings, values, or ideas. The one distinction between man and the animal is that man can communicate with his fellows by means of symbols which most certainly designate and identify meanings, values, ideas, and even ideals.
2014 160:2.1 Postoje samo dva načina na koje smrtnici mogu živjeti zajedno: materijalni ili životinjski i duhovni ili ljudski. Uporabom znakova i zvukova životinje su u mogućnosti uzajamno ograničeno komunicirati. Ali takvi oblici komunikacije ne prenose značenja, vrijednosti ili ideje. Osnovna razlika između čovjeka i životinje je da čovjek može komunicirati sa svojim bližnjima pomoću simbola koji jasno obilježavaju i izražavaju značenja, vrijednosti, ideje, pa čak i ideale.
1955 160:2.2 Since animals cannot communicate ideas to each other, they cannot develop personality. Man develops personality because he can thus communicate with his fellows concerning both ideas and ideals.
2014 160:2.2 Budući da životinje ne mogu uzajamno komunicirati ideje, one ne mogu razviti ličnost. Čovjek razvija ličnost zato što može prenijeti svojim bližnjima ideje kao i ideale.
1955 160:2.3 It is this ability to communicate and share meanings that constitutes human culture and enables man, through social associations, to build civilizations. Knowledge and wisdom become cumulative because of man’s ability to communicate these possessions to succeeding generations. And thereby arise the cultural activities of the race: art, science, religion, and philosophy.
2014 160:2.3 Ta sposobnost kominiciranja i razmjene značenja je to što čini ljudsku kulturu i omogućuje čovjeku da izgradi civilizaciju formiranjem društvenih veza. Znanje i mudrost postala kumulativni zbog čovjekove sposobnosti da komunicira te posjede sljedećim generacijama. I tako ljudske rase razvijaju kulturne aktivnosti: umjetnost, znanost, religiju i filozofiju.
1955 160:2.4 Symbolic communication between human beings predetermines the bringing into existence of social groups. The most effective of all social groups is the family, more particularly the two parents. Personal affection is the spiritual bond which holds together these material associations. Such an effective relationship is also possible between two persons of the same sex, as is so abundantly illustrated in the devotions of genuine friendships.
2014 160:2.4 Simbolička veza između ljudskih bića vodi stvaranju društvenih skupina. Najučinkovitija od svih društvenih skupina je obitelj, a posebice dvoje roditelja. Osobna ljubav je duhovna veza koja drži na okupu te materijalne veze. Takav učinkovit odnos je također moguć između dvaju osoba istog spola, što se tako jasno vidi u odanosti iskrenog prijateljstva.
1955 160:2.5 These associations of friendship and mutual affection are socializing and ennobling because they encourage and facilitate the following essential factors of the higher levels of the art of living:
2014 160:2.5 Ove prijateljske veze i uzajamna ljubav vode druženju i oplemenjenju jer potiču i olakšavaju sljedeće bitne činitelje viših razina umijeća življenja:
1955 160:2.6 1. Mutual self-expression and self-understanding. Many noble human impulses die because there is no one to hear their expression. Truly, it is not good for man to be alone. Some degree of recognition and a certain amount of appreciation are essential to the development of human character. Without the genuine love of a home, no child can achieve the full development of normal character. Character is something more than mere mind and morals. Of all social relations calculated to develop character, the most effective and ideal is the affectionate and understanding friendship of man and woman in the mutual embrace of intelligent wedlock. Marriage, with its manifold relations, is best designed to draw forth those precious impulses and those higher motives which are indispensable to the development of a strong character. I do not hesitate thus to glorify family life, for your Master has wisely chosen the father-child relationship as the very cornerstone of this new gospel of the kingdom. And such a matchless community of relationship, man and woman in the fond embrace of the highest ideals of time, is so valuable and satisfying an experience that it is worth any price, any sacrifice, requisite for its possession.
2014 160:2.6 1. Uzajamni samoizražaj i samorazumijevanje. Mnogi plemeniti ljudski porivi umiru jer nitko ne čuje njihov izražaj. Uistinu, nije dobro da čovjek bude sam[2]. Neki je stupanj prepoznavanja i određena mjera pažnje bitna za razvoj ljudskog karaktera. Bez istinske ljubavi doma, dijete ne može postići puni razvoj normalnog karaktera. Karakter je više od pukog uma i morala. Od svih društvenih odnosa koji služe razvoju karaktera, najučinkovitije i najidealnije je nježno i obzirno prijateljstvo muškarca i žene u uzajamnom zagrljaju inteligentnog braka. Brak je, za svojim mnogostrukim odnosima, najbolje osmišljen da probudi te dragocjene impulse i više motive koji su neophodni za razvoj snažnog karaktera. Ne ustručavam se tako veličati obiteljski život, jer je vaš Učitelj mudro izabrao odnos oca i djeteta kao kamen temeljac ovog novog evanđelja kraljevstva. A ta nenadmašiva zajednica, muškarac i žena u nježnom zagrljaju najviših ideala vremena, toliko je vrijedno i zadovoljavajuće iskustvo da je vrijedno svake cijene, svake žrtve, koja je uvjet njezinom posjedu.
1955 160:2.7 2. Union of souls—the mobilization of wisdom. Every human being sooner or later acquires a certain concept of this world and a certain vision of the next. Now it is possible, through personality association, to unite these views of temporal existence and eternal prospects. Thus does the mind of one augment its spiritual values by gaining much of the insight of the other. In this way men enrich the soul by pooling their respective spiritual possessions. Likewise, in this same way, man is enabled to avoid that ever-present tendency to fall victim to distortion of vision, prejudice of viewpoint, and narrowness of judgment. Fear, envy, and conceit can be prevented only by intimate contact with other minds. I call your attention to the fact that the Master never sends you out alone to labor for the extension of the kingdom; he always sends you out two and two. And since wisdom is superknowledge, it follows that, in the union of wisdom, the social group, small or large, mutually shares all knowledge.
2014 160:2.7 2. Ujedinjenje duša - mobilizacija mudrosti.Svako ljudsko biće prije ili kasnije stekne određeni koncept ovog svijeta i određenu viziju sljedećeg. Kroz interakciju između ličnosti, ujedinjuju se ti pogledi vremenske egzistencije i vječne perspektive. Tako se uzvisuju duhovne vrijednosti uma jedne osobe kroz neki dio uvida druge. Na taj način ljudi obogaćuju dušu udruživanjem svojih duhovnih posjeda. Isto tako, čovjek na taj način može izbjeći tu sveprisutnu tendenciju da postane žrtva izobličenog uvida predrasudnog gledišta i uskog suda. Strah, zavist i taština se mogu spriječiti samo kroz intimni kontakt s drugim umovima. Obratite pažnju na činjenicu da vas Učitelj nikada ne šalje da pojedinačno radite na promicanju kraljevstva; uvijek vas šalje dvojicu po dvojicu. A budući da je mudrost superznanje, slijedi da ujedinjenjem mudrosti društvena skupina, mala ili velika, međusobno dijeli svo znanje.
1955 160:2.8 3. The enthusiasm for living. Isolation tends to exhaust the energy charge of the soul. Association with one’s fellows is essential to the renewal of the zest for life and is indispensable to the maintenance of the courage to fight those battles consequent upon the ascent to the higher levels of human living. Friendship enhances the joys and glorifies the triumphs of life. Loving and intimate human associations tend to rob suffering of its sorrow and hardship of much of its bitterness. The presence of a friend enhances all beauty and exalts every goodness. By intelligent symbols man is able to quicken and enlarge the appreciative capacities of his friends. One of the crowning glories of human friendship is this power and possibility of the mutual stimulation of the imagination. Great spiritual power is inherent in the consciousness of wholehearted devotion to a common cause, mutual loyalty to a cosmic Deity.
2014 160:2.8 3. Entuzijazam za življenje. Izolacija iscrpljuje energetski naboj duše. Druženje s bližnjima je bitno za obnovu volje za životom i prijeko potrebno za održavanje hrabrosti za bitke koje slijede za usponom na više razine ljudskog življenja. Prijateljstvo uvećava radosti i slavi pobjede života. Iskrene i intimne ljudske veze imaju moć oduzeti patnjama tugu i nedaćama gorčinu. Prisutnost prijatelja poboljšava svu ljepotu i uzvisuje svaku dobrotu. Inteligentnim simbolima čovjek je u stanju proširiti i produbiti kapacitet za spoznaju zahvalnosti u svojih prijatelja. Jedna od najvećih vrijednosti ljudskog prijateljstva je ta moć i mogućnost međusobnog poticanja mašte. Velika duhovna moć prati svijest svesrdne odanosti zajedničkom cilju, međusobne odanosti kozmičkom Božanstvu.
1955 160:2.9 4. The enhanced defense against all evil. Personality association and mutual affection is an efficient insurance against evil. Difficulties, sorrow, disappointment, and defeat are more painful and disheartening when borne alone. Association does not transmute evil into righteousness, but it does aid in greatly lessening the sting. Said your Master, “Happy are they who mourn”—if a friend is at hand to comfort. There is positive strength in the knowledge that you live for the welfare of others, and that these others likewise live for your welfare and advancement. Man languishes in isolation. Human beings unfailingly become discouraged when they view only the transitory transactions of time. The present, when divorced from the past and the future, becomes exasperatingly trivial. Only a glimpse of the circle of eternity can inspire man to do his best and can challenge the best in him to do its utmost. And when man is thus at his best, he lives most unselfishly for the good of others, his fellow sojourners in time and eternity.
2014 160:2.9 4. Bolja obrana od svakog zla. Osobna povezanost i međusobna ljubav su učinkovito osiguranje protiv zla. Poteškoće, patnja, razočaranje i poraz su više bolni i obeshrabrujući kad ih čovjek podnosi sam. Udruga neće preobraziti zlo u pravednost, ali ona ipak pomaže u velikoj mjeri olakšavajući bol. Kako kaže vaš Učitelj, "Blago onima koji pate" - ako je prijatelj pri ruci da utješi[3]. Postoji pozitivna snaga u spoznaji da čovjek živi za dobrobit drugih, i da ti drugi žive za njegovu dobrobit i napredak. Čovjek pati u izolaciji. Ljudska bića bez iznimke postaju obeshrabrena kad vide samo prolazne poslove vremena. Sadašnjica, odvojena od prošlosti i budućnosti, postaje gorko trivijalna. Samo letimičan pogled na krug vječnosti može potaknuti čovjeka da pruži sve od sebe i pobuditi ono najbolje u njemu da učini najviše moguće. A kad je čovjek ono najviše što može biti, on živi najnesebičnije za dobrobit drugih, svojih bližnjih u vremenu i vječnosti.
1955 160:2.10 I repeat, such inspiring and ennobling association finds its ideal possibilities in the human marriage relation. True, much is attained out of marriage, and many, many marriages utterly fail to produce these moral and spiritual fruits. Too many times marriage is entered by those who seek other values which are lower than these superior accompaniments of human maturity. Ideal marriage must be founded on something more stable than the fluctuations of sentiment and the fickleness of mere sex attraction; it must be based on genuine and mutual personal devotion. And thus, if you can build up such trustworthy and effective small units of human association, when these are assembled in the aggregate, the world will behold a great and glorified social structure, the civilization of mortal maturity. Such a race might begin to realize something of your Master’s ideal of “peace on earth and good will among men.” While such a society would not be perfect or entirely free from evil, it would at least approach the stabilization of maturity.
2014 160:2.10 Ponavljam, takvo nadahnuće i plemenitost nalaze idealne mogućnosti za izražaj u ljudskom bračnom odnosu. Istina, mnogo se može postići izvan braka, a mnogi, mnogi brakovi ne uspiju roditi ovim moralnim i duhovnim plodovima. Vrlo često u brak ulaze oni koji traže vrijednosti niže od tih superiornih plodova ljudske zrelosti. Idealan brak se mora temeljiti na nečemu stabilnijem od nestalnosti raspoloženja i prevrtljivosti puke seksualne privlačnosti; mora se temeljiti na iskrenoj i uzajamnoj osobnoj odanosti. I tako, ako ljudi mogu izgraditi takve pouzdane i učinkovite male ljudske udruge, kad se ove objedine, svijet će ugledati veliku i blaženu društvenu strukturu, civilizaciju smrtne zrelosti. Takva rasa može početi ostvarivati dio ideala vašeg Učitelja o "miru na zemlji i dobroj volji među ljudima[4]." Takvo društvo neće biti savršeno ili potpuno bez zla, ali će se barem približiti stabilizaciji zrelosti.
¶ 3. PRIMAME ZRELOSTI
3. THE LURES OF MATURITY
3. PRIMAME ZRELOSTI
1955 160:3.1 The effort toward maturity necessitates work, and work requires energy. Whence the power to accomplish all this? The physical things can be taken for granted, but the Master has well said, “Man cannot live by bread alone.” Granted the possession of a normal body and reasonably good health, we must next look for those lures which will act as a stimulus to call forth man’s slumbering spiritual forces. Jesus has taught us that God lives in man; then how can we induce man to release these soul-bound powers of divinity and infinity? How shall we induce men to let go of God that he may spring forth to the refreshment of our own souls while in transit outward and then to serve the purpose of enlightening, uplifting, and blessing countless other souls? How best can I awaken these latent powers for good which lie dormant in your souls? One thing I am sure of: Emotional excitement is not the ideal spiritual stimulus. Excitement does not augment energy; it rather exhausts the powers of both mind and body. Whence then comes the energy to do these great things? Look to your Master. Even now he is out in the hills taking in power while we are here giving out energy. The secret of all this problem is wrapped up in spiritual communion, in worship. From the human standpoint it is a question of combined meditation and relaxation. Meditation makes the contact of mind with spirit; relaxation determines the capacity for spiritual receptivity. And this interchange of strength for weakness, courage for fear, the will of God for the mind of self, constitutes worship. At least, that is the way the philosopher views it.
2014 160:3.1 Trud koji vodi zrelosti zahtijeva rad, a rad zahtijeva energiju. Odakle moć da se sve to ostvari? Materijalne stvari se mogu uzeti zdravo za gotovo, ali Učitelj dobro kaže, "Čovjek ne može živjeti samo o kruhu." Ako imamo normalno tijelo i prilično dobro zdravlje, moramo tražiti one privlačnosti koje djeluju kao poticaj za buđenje naših pritajenih duhovnih sila[5]. Isus nas uči da Bog živi u čovjeku; kako onda možemo potaći čovjeka da oslobodi te moći božanstvenosti i beskonačnosti koje su u njegovoj duši? Kako potaći ljude da dopuste Bogu da u svojoj ekspanziji osvježi naše duše, da bi mi zatim služili prosvjetljenju, uzdizanju i blaženju bezbroj drugih duša? Kako najbolje probuditi te latentne moći za dobro koje leže uspavane u vašim dušama? U jedno sam siguran: Emocionalno uzbuđenje nije idealan duhovni poticaj. Uzbuđenje ne povećava energiju; ono prije iscrpljuje moći uma i tijela. Odakle onda dolazi energija za sve ove velike stvari? Pogledajete vašeg Učitelja. On je upravo sada u brdima gdje prikuplja energiju, dok je mi ovdje odajemo. Tajna ovog problema leži u duhovnom zajedništvu, obožavanju. S ljudske točke gledišta to je pitanje kombinirane meditacije i relaksacije. Meditacija čini kontakt uma sa duhom; relaksacija određuje sposobnost duhovne prijemčivosti. A ta razmjena snage za slabost, hrabrosti za strah, Božje volje za čovjekov um, predstavlja obožavanje. Ako ništa drugo, to je perspektiva filozofa.
1955 160:3.2 When these experiences are frequently repeated, they crystallize into habits, strength-giving and worshipful habits, and such habits eventually formulate themselves into a spiritual character, and such a character is finally recognized by one’s fellows as a mature personality. These practices are difficult and time-consuming at first, but when they become habitual, they are at once restful and timesaving. The more complex society becomes, and the more the lures of civilization multiply, the more urgent will become the necessity for God-knowing individuals to form such protective habitual practices designed to conserve and augment their spiritual energies.
2014 160:3.2 Kada se ta iskustva često ponavljaju, ona se kristaliziraju u vitalne navike obožavanja koje se s vremenom oblikuju u duhovni karakter, a takav karater čovjekovi bližnji prepoznaju kao zrelu ličnost. Takva je praksa isprva teška i dugotrajna, ali kad preraste u naviku, ona istovremeno daje mir i štedi vrijeme. Kako društvo postane sve složenije i kako se više budu umnožavale draži civilizacije, hitnija će postati nužnost da one individue koje poznaju Boga formiraju takve zaštitne prakse za očuvanje i povećanje svoje duhovne energije.
1955 160:3.3 Another requirement for the attainment of maturity is the co-operative adjustment of social groups to an ever-changing environment. The immature individual arouses the antagonisms of his fellows; the mature man wins the hearty co-operation of his associates, thereby many times multiplying the fruits of his life efforts.
2014 160:3.3 Drugi uvjet za postizanje zrelosti je kooperativna prilagodba društvenih skupina mijenjujećem okolišu. Nezrela osoba izaziva antagonizme svojih bližnjih; zreo čovjek osvaja srdačnu suradnju svojih suradnika i mnogostruko uvećava plodove svojih životnih napora.
1955 160:3.4 My philosophy tells me that there are times when I must fight, if need be, for the defense of my concept of righteousness, but I doubt not that the Master, with a more mature type of personality, would easily and gracefully gain an equal victory by his superior and winsome technique of tact and tolerance. All too often, when we battle for the right, it turns out that both the victor and the vanquished have sustained defeat. I heard the Master say only yesterday that the “wise man, when seeking entrance through the locked door, would not destroy the door but rather would seek for the key wherewith to unlock it.” Too often we engage in a fight merely to convince ourselves that we are not afraid.
2014 160:3.4 Prema mojoj filozofiji postoji vrijeme kad se trebam boriti, ako je potrebno, za obranu moga koncepta pravednosti, ali ne sumnjam da bi Učitelj, sa zrelijim tipom ličnosti, lako i graciozno ostvario jednaku pobjedu svojom uvjerljivom i dopadljivom tehnikom takta i tolerancije. Prečesto, u borbi za pravednost, i pobjednik i poraženi pretrpe poraz. Čuo sam kako Učitelj jučer kaže da "mudar čovjek, kada traži da uđe kroz zaključana vrata, ne uništava ta vrata, nego traži ključ da ih otključa." Često se upuštamo u borbu samo da bi sebi dokazali da se ne bojimo.
1955 160:3.5 This new gospel of the kingdom renders a great service to the art of living in that it supplies a new and richer incentive for higher living. It presents a new and exalted goal of destiny, a supreme life purpose. And these new concepts of the eternal and divine goal of existence are in themselves transcendent stimuli, calling forth the reaction of the very best that is resident in man’s higher nature. On every mountaintop of intellectual thought are to be found relaxation for the mind, strength for the soul, and communion for the spirit. From such vantage points of high living, man is able to transcend the material irritations of the lower levels of thinking—worry, jealousy, envy, revenge, and the pride of immature personality. These high-climbing souls deliver themselves from a multitude of the crosscurrent conflicts of the trifles of living, thus becoming free to attain consciousness of the higher currents of spirit concept and celestial communication. But the life purpose must be jealously guarded from the temptation to seek for easy and transient attainment; likewise must it be so fostered as to become immune to the disastrous threats of fanaticism.
2014 160:3.5 Ovo novo evanđelje kraljevstva čini veliku uslugu umijeću življenja tako što daje novi i bogatiji poticaj za višim življenjem[6]. Ono predstavlja novi i uzvišeni cilj sudbine, vrhovnu životnu svrhu. A ovi su novi koncepti vječnog i božanskog cilja egzistencije sami po sebi trascendentni podražaji koji potiču ono najbolje u čovjekovoj višoj prirodi. Na svakom se planinskom vrhu intelektualane misli može naći odmor za um, snaga za dušu i duhovno zajedništvo za duh. Iz tih je vidikovaca visokog življenja čovjek u stanju nadići materijalne iritacije nižih razina razmišljanja - brigu, ljubomoru, zavist, osvetu,i oholost nezrele ličnosti. Duše koje dostignu takve visine mogu sebe sačuvati od mnoštva poprečnih struja koje su vezane za proturiječnosti životnih sitnica, što im daje slobodu da postignu svijest o višim strujama koncepcije duha i nebeske komunikacije. Ali čovjek mora ljubomorno čuvati svrhu življenja od iskušenja lagodnih i prolaznih postignuća; također je mora njegovati kako bi je zaštitio od katastrofalne prijetnje fanatizma.
¶ 4. RAVNOTEŽA ZRELOSTI
4. THE BALANCE OF MATURITY
4. RAVNOTEŽA ZRELOSTI
1955 160:4.1 While you have an eye single to the attainment of eternal realities, you must also make provision for the necessities of temporal living. While the spirit is our goal, the flesh is a fact. Occasionally the necessities of living may fall into our hands by accident, but in general, we must intelligently work for them. The two major problems of life are: making a temporal living and the achievement of eternal survival. And even the problem of making a living requires religion for its ideal solution. These are both highly personal problems. True religion, in fact, does not function apart from the individual.
2014 160:4.1 Dok težite postizanju vječnih stvarnosti, također morate povesti računa o potrebama zemaljskog življenja. Duh nam je cilj, a tijelo činjenica. Povremeno nam sredstva za življenje mogu pasti u naše ruke slučajno, ali uopćeno moramo za njih inteligentno raditi. Dva glavna problema u životu su: zarada za zemaljski život i postizanje vječnog života. Pa čak i problem zarade za život zahtijeva vjeru za svoje idealno riješenje. To su dva vrlo osobna problema. Istinska religija, u stvari, ne funkcionira odvojeno od individualne osobe.
1955 160:4.2 The essentials of the temporal life, as I see them, are:
2014 160:4.2 Ovo je po meni osnova vremenskog života:
1955 160:4.9 Even the physical problems of bodily health and efficiency are best solved when they are viewed from the religious standpoint of our Master’s teaching: That the body and mind of man are the dwelling place of the gift of the Gods, the spirit of God becoming the spirit of man. The mind of man thus becomes the mediator between material things and spiritual realities.
2014 160:4.9 Čak se i fizički problemi tjelesnog zdravlja i učinkovitosti najbolje mogu riješiti sa religioznog stajališta našeg Učitelja: da su tijelo i um čovjeka prebivalište dara Bogova, gdje Duh Božji postaje duh čovjeka. Čovjekov um tako postaje posrednik između materijalnih stvari i duhovnih stvarnosti.
1955 160:4.10 It requires intelligence to secure one’s share of the desirable things of life. It is wholly erroneous to suppose that faithfulness in doing one’s daily work will insure the rewards of wealth. Barring the occasional and accidental acquirement of wealth, the material rewards of the temporal life are found to flow in certain well-organized channels, and only those who have access to these channels may expect to be well rewarded for their temporal efforts. Poverty must ever be the lot of all men who seek for wealth in isolated and individual channels. Wise planning, therefore, becomes the one thing essential to worldly prosperity. Success requires not only devotion to one’s work but also that one should function as a part of some one of the channels of material wealth. If you are unwise, you can bestow a devoted life upon your generation without material reward; if you are an accidental beneficiary of the flow of wealth, you may roll in luxury even though you have done nothing worth while for your fellow men.
2014 160:4.10 Čovjek mora imati inteligenciju kako bi osigurao svoj udio poželjnih stvari u životu. U potpunosti je pogrešno pretpostaviti da vjerna sprovedba svakodnevnog rada osigurava nagrade bogatstva. Ljudi ponekad steknu bogatstvo pukim slučajem, ali obratite pozornost da se materijalne nagrade vremenskog življenja ulijevaju u određene organizirane kanale i samo oni koji imaju pristupa tim kanalima mogu očekivati veće nagrade za svoje vremenske napore. Siromaštvo uvijek mora biti sudbina svih koji traže bogatstvo u izoliranim i individualnim kanalima. Mudro planiranje, dakle, postaje to što je bitno za svjetovni prosperitet. Uspjeh zahtijeva ne samo odanost radu, već i sudjelovanje u nekom kanalu materijalnog bogatstva. Ako nema mudrosti, čovjek može podariti vjeran život svojoj generaciji i ostati bez materijalne nagrade; ako slučajno nađe kanal bogatstva, može se valjati u luksuzu iako nije učinio ništa vrijedno za svoje bližnje.
[1]
1955 160:4.11 Ability is that which you inherit, while skill is what you acquire. Life is not real to one who cannot do some one thing well, expertly. Skill is one of the real sources of the satisfaction of living. Ability implies the gift of foresight, farseeing vision. Be not deceived by the tempting rewards of dishonest achievement; be willing to toil for the later returns inherent in honest endeavor. The wise man is able to distinguish between means and ends; otherwise, sometimes overplanning for the future defeats its own high purpose. As a pleasure seeker you should aim always to be a producer as well as a consumer.
2014 160:4.11 Sposobnost je to što naslijedite, a vještina to što steknete. Život nije stvaran čovjeku koji ne zna obaviti jedno zvanje prihvatljivo, stručno. Vještina je jedan od istinskih izvora životne radosti. Sposobnost podrazumijeva dar predviđanja, dalekovidost. Ne dajte se zavarati primamljivim nagradama nepoštenog postignuća; budite spremni uložiti trud za buduće nagrade iskrenih nastojanja. Mudar čovjek je u stanju razlikovati između sredstava i ciljeva; inače, ponekad pretjerano planiranje za budućnost poražava svoju vrijednu namjeru. Težeći zadovoljstvu, uvijek trebate nastojati biti proizvođač kao i potrošač.
1955 160:4.12 Train your memory to hold in sacred trust the strength-giving and worth-while episodes of life, which you can recall at will for your pleasure and edification. Thus build up for yourself and in yourself reserve galleries of beauty, goodness, and artistic grandeur. But the noblest of all memories are the treasured recollections of the great moments of a superb friendship. And all of these memory treasures radiate their most precious and exalting influences under the releasing touch of spiritual worship.
2014 160:4.12 Naučite čuvati u svetom povjerenju vrijedne epizode života koje će poslužiti kao izvor snage i koje možete prizvati u sjećanje radi vlastitog užitka i pouke.Tako ćete izgraditi za sebe i u sebi rezervne galerije ljepote, dobrote i umjetničke raskoši. No, najplemenitija sjećanja su dragocjene uspomene na predivne trenutke iskrenog prijateljstva. Takva raznica sjećanja ispoljava najdragocjeniji utjecaj i nadahnuće kad se aktivira duhovnim obožavanjem.
1955 160:4.13 But life will become a burden of existence unless you learn how to fail gracefully. There is an art in defeat which noble souls always acquire; you must know how to lose cheerfully; you must be fearless of disappointment. Never hesitate to admit failure. Make no attempt to hide failure under deceptive smiles and beaming optimism. It sounds well always to claim success, but the end results are appalling. Such a technique leads directly to the creation of a world of unreality and to the inevitable crash of ultimate disillusionment.
2014 160:4.13 No, život će postati teret postojanja ako ne naučite dostojanstveno primiti poraz. Prihvaćanje poraza uvijek daje plemenitim dušama određeno umijeće; morate naučiti izgubiti s osmijehom; ne smijete se bojati razočaranja. Nikad se ne ustručavajte priznati neuspjeh. Ne pokušavajte ga sakriti pod varljivim osmjesima i vedrim optimizmom. Dobro zvuči uvijek se hvaliti uspjehom, ali krajnji rezultati su užasni. Takva vještina vodi izravno stvaranju nestvarnosti i neizbježnom slomu najdubljeg razočaranja.
1955 160:4.14 Success may generate courage and promote confidence, but wisdom comes only from the experiences of adjustment to the results of one’s failures. Men who prefer optimistic illusions to reality can never become wise. Only those who face facts and adjust them to ideals can achieve wisdom. Wisdom embraces both the fact and the ideal and therefore saves its devotees from both of those barren extremes of philosophy—the man whose idealism excludes facts and the materialist who is devoid of spiritual outlook. Those timid souls who can only keep up the struggle of life by the aid of continuous false illusions of success are doomed to suffer failure and experience defeat as they ultimately awaken from the dream world of their own imaginations.
2014 160:4.14 Uspjeh može stvoriti hrabrost i uvećati samopouzdanje, ali mudrost se rađa samo iz iskustva prilagodbe rezultatima vlastitih neuspjeha. Čovjek koji više voli optimističke iluzije nego stvarnost ne može postati mudar. Mudrost mogu postići samo oni koji se suoče s činjenicama i koji prilagode činjenice idealima. Mudrost obuhvaća činjenice kao i ideale i tako štiti svoje poklonike od dva pusta ekstrema filozofije - čovjeka čiji idealizam isključuje činjenice i materijaliste koji nema duhovnog gledišta. Te bojažljive duše koje se mogu boriti u životu samo uz pomoć neprestanog pothranjivanja svojih lažnih iluzija uspjeha moraju biti osuđene na neuspjeh i poraz kad se konačno probude iz svojih maštarija.
1955 160:4.15 And it is in this business of facing failure and adjusting to defeat that the far-reaching vision of religion exerts its supreme influence. Failure is simply an educational episode—a cultural experiment in the acquirement of wisdom—in the experience of the God-seeking man who has embarked on the eternal adventure of the exploration of a universe. To such men defeat is but a new tool for the achievement of higher levels of universe reality.
2014 160:4.15 Upravo u tom procesu suočavanja s neuspjehom i prilagodbe porazu, dalekosežna vizija religije ispoljava svoj vrhunski utjecaj. Neuspjeh je jednostavno edukativna epizoda - kulturni eksperiment u stjecanju mudrosti - u iskustvu čovjeka koji traga za Bogom i koji je krenuo na vječnu avanturu istraživanja svemira. Za takve ljude poraz je tek nova tehnika za postizanje viših razina kozmičke stvarnosti.
1955 160:4.16 The career of a God-seeking man may prove to be a great success in the light of eternity, even though the whole temporal-life enterprise may appear as an overwhelming failure, provided each life failure yielded the culture of wisdom and spirit achievement. Do not make the mistake of confusing knowledge, culture, and wisdom. They are related in life, but they represent vastly differing spirit values; wisdom ever dominates knowledge and always glorifies culture.
2014 160:4.16 Život čovjeka koji traži Boga može djelovati kao veliki uspjeh u svjetlu vječnosti, iako cijeli vremenski život može djelovati kao jedan ogromni promašaj, pod uvjetom da je takav životni neuspjeh vodio stjecanju kulture mudrosti i postignuća duha. Ne činite grešku brkanjem znanja, kulture i mudrosti. To troje su povezani u životu, ali predstavljaju vrlo različite vrijednosti duha; mudrost uvijek dominira nad znanjem i uvijek iluminira kulturu.
¶ 5. RELIGIJA IDEALA
5. THE RELIGION OF THE IDEAL
5. RELIGIJA IDEALA
1955 160:5.1 You have told me that your Master regards genuine human religion as the individual’s experience with spiritual realities. I have regarded religion as man’s experience of reacting to something which he regards as being worthy of the homage and devotion of all mankind. In this sense, religion symbolizes our supreme devotion to that which represents our highest concept of the ideals of reality and the farthest reach of our minds toward eternal possibilities of spiritual attainment.
2014 160:5.1 Rekli ste da vaš Učitelj tumači istinsku ljudsku religiju kao iskustvo pojedinca sa duhovnim stvarnostima.Ja sam smatrao religiju čovjekovim iskustvom reagiranja na nešto što on smatra dostojnim poštovanja i odanosti svih ljudi. U tom smislu, religija simbolizira našu vrhovnu odanost onome što predstavlja naš najviši koncept ideala stvarnosti i najdalekosežniji poseg naših umova prema vječnim mogućnostima duhovnog postignuća.
1955 160:5.2 When men react to religion in the tribal, national, or racial sense, it is because they look upon those without their group as not being truly human. We always look upon the object of our religious loyalty as being worthy of the reverence of all men. Religion can never be a matter of mere intellectual belief or philosophic reasoning; religion is always and forever a mode of reacting to the situations of life; it is a species of conduct. Religion embraces thinking, feeling, and acting reverently toward some reality which we deem worthy of universal adoration.
2014 160:5.2 Ljudi reagiraju na religiju u plemenskom, nacionalnom ili rasnom smislu ako gledaju na one izvan njihove skupine kao da nisu posve ljudi. Uvijek smatramo predmet naše religiozne odanosti vrijednim poštovanja svih ljudi. Religija ne može biti stvar pukog intelektualnog uvjerenja ili filozofskog rasuđivanja; religija je uvijek bila i uvijek će biti način reagiranja na životne situacije; ona je način ponašanja. Religija obuhvaća razmišljanje, osjećanje i djelovanje s poštovanjem prema nekoj stvarnosti koju smatramo dostojnom sveopćeg poštovanja.
1955 160:5.3 If something has become a religion in your experience, it is self-evident that you already have become an active evangel of that religion since you deem the supreme concept of your religion as being worthy of the worship of all mankind, all universe intelligences. If you are not a positive and missionary evangel of your religion, you are self-deceived in that what you call a religion is only a traditional belief or a mere system of intellectual philosophy. If your religion is a spiritual experience, your object of worship must be the universal spirit reality and ideal of all your spiritualized concepts. All religions based on fear, emotion, tradition, and philosophy I term the intellectual religions, while those based on true spirit experience I would term the true religions. The object of religious devotion may be material or spiritual, true or false, real or unreal, human or divine. Religions can therefore be either good or evil.
2014 160:5.3 Ako je nešto postalo religija u vašem iskustvu, samo je po sebi jasno da ste već postali aktivni evangelista te religije budući da smatrate da je najviši koncept vaše religije dostojan obožavanja svih ljudi, svih svemirskih inteligencija. Ako niste pozitivan i glasan evangelista svoje religije, onda sebe zavaravate jer je to što zovete religijom puko tradicionalno vjerovanje ili sustav intelektualne filozofije. Ako je vaša religija duhovno iskustvo, vaš predmet obožavanja mora biti sveopća stvarnost duha i ideal svih vaših produhovljenih ideja. Sve religije koje se temelje na strahu, emocijama, tradiciji i filozofiji nazivam intelektualnim religijama, dok one koje se temelje na istinskom iskustvu duha nazivam pravim religijama.Predmet religiozne odanosti može biti materijalan ili duhovan, istinski ili lažan, stvaran ili nestvaran, ljudski ili božanski. Religije, dakle, mogu biti dobre ili zle.
1955 160:5.4 Morality and religion are not necessarily the same. A system of morals, by grasping an object of worship, may become a religion. A religion, by losing its universal appeal to loyalty and supreme devotion, may evolve into a system of philosophy or a code of morals. This thing, being, state, or order of existence, or possibility of attainment which constitutes the supreme ideal of religious loyalty, and which is the recipient of the religious devotion of those who worship, is God. Regardless of the name applied to this ideal of spirit reality, it is God.
2014 160:5.4 Moralnost i religija ne moraju biti jedno te isto. Moralni sustav koji usvoji predmet obožavanja može postati religija. Religija, ako izgubi svoj sveopći poziv na posvetu i najvišu odanost, može prerasti u sustav filozofije ili kodeks morala. Ta stvar, biće, stanje, poredak egzistencije ili mogućnost postizanja koja predstavlja vrhovni ideal religioznog posvećenja i predmet religiozne odanosti svojih poklonika, je Bog. Bez obzira na ime koje ljudi daju ovom idealu stvarnosti duha, to je Bog.
1955 160:5.5 The social characteristics of a true religion consist in the fact that it invariably seeks to convert the individual and to transform the world. Religion implies the existence of undiscovered ideals which far transcend the known standards of ethics and morality embodied in even the highest social usages of the most mature institutions of civilization. Religion reaches out for undiscovered ideals, unexplored realities, superhuman values, divine wisdom, and true spirit attainment. True religion does all of this; all other beliefs are not worthy of the name. You cannot have a genuine spiritual religion without the supreme and supernal ideal of an eternal God. A religion without this God is an invention of man, a human institution of lifeless intellectual beliefs and meaningless emotional ceremonies. A religion might claim as the object of its devotion a great ideal. But such ideals of unreality are not attainable; such a concept is illusionary. The only ideals susceptible of human attainment are the divine realities of the infinite values resident in the spiritual fact of the eternal God.
2014 160:5.5 Društvene karakteristike istinske religije počivaju u činjenici da religija uvijek teži obraćenju individue i preobrazbi svijeta. Religija podrazumijeva postojanje neotkrivenih ideala koji daleko nadilaze poznate standarde etike i moralnosti čak i najviših društvenih običaja najzrelijih institucija civilizacije. Religija poseže za neotkrivenim idealima, neistraženim stvarnostima, nadljudskim vrijednostima, božanskom mudrosti i istinskim postignućem duha. Istinska religija je sve to; sva ostala vjerovanja nisu dostojna tog imena. Ne možete imati istinsku duhovnu religiju bez vrhovnog nebeskog ideala vječnog Boga. Religija bez tog Boga je izum čovjeka, ljudska institucija beživotnih intelektualnih vjerovanja i besmislenih emocionalnih ceremonija. Religija može tvrditi da ima visoki ideal kao predmet svoje odanosti. No, takvi ideali nestvarnosti nisu ostvarljivi; takav je koncept iluzoran. Jedini ideali koji su ostvarljivi u ljudskom postignuću su božanske stvarnosti beskonačnih vrijednosti koje prebivaju u duhovnoj činjenici vječnog Boga.
1955 160:5.6 The word God, the idea of God as contrasted with the ideal of God, can become a part of any religion, no matter how puerile or false that religion may chance to be. And this idea of God can become anything which those who entertain it may choose to make it. The lower religions shape their ideas of God to meet the natural state of the human heart; the higher religions demand that the human heart shall be changed to meet the demands of the ideals of true religion.
2014 160:5.6 Riječ Bog, ideja Boga u suprotnosti s idealom Boga, može postati dijelom bilo koje religije, bez obzira kako djetinjasta ili lažna ona bila. A ova ideja Boga može postati bilo što u što je njezini poklonici pretvore. Niže religije oblikuju svoje ideje Boga da zadovolje prirodno stanje ljudskog srca; više religije zahtijevaju da se ljudsko srce promijeni kako bi zadovoljilo zahtjeve ideala istinske religije.
1955 160:5.7 The religion of Jesus transcends all our former concepts of the idea of worship in that he not only portrays his Father as the ideal of infinite reality but positively declares that this divine source of values and the eternal center of the universe is truly and personally attainable by every mortal creature who chooses to enter the kingdom of heaven on earth, thereby acknowledging the acceptance of sonship with God and brotherhood with man. That, I submit, is the highest concept of religion the world has ever known, and I pronounce that there can never be a higher since this gospel embraces the infinity of realities, the divinity of values, and the eternity of universal attainments. Such a concept constitutes the achievement of the experience of the idealism of the supreme and the ultimate.
2014 160:5.7 Isusova religija prevazilazi sve naše prijašnje koncepcije obožavanja jer Isus ne prikazuje svoga Oca samo kao ideal beskonačne stvarnosti, već čvrsto tvrdi da je ovaj božanski izvor vrijednosti i vječno središte svemira uistinu i osobno ostvarljiv u iskustvu svakog smrtnika koji odluči ući u kraljevstvo nebesko na zemlji, čime prihvaća sebe kao Božjeg sina i pripadnika u bratstvu ljudi. To je, moram priznati, najviši koncept religije koji je svijet ikada poznavao i tvrdim da nikada ne može biti većeg jer ovo evanđelje obuhvaća beskonačnost stvarnosti, božanstvo vrijednosti i vječnost sveopćih postignuća. Takav je koncept jednak realizaciji doživljaja idealizma vrhovnog i krajnjeg.
1955 160:5.8 I am not only intrigued by the consummate ideals of this religion of your Master, but I am mightily moved to profess my belief in his announcement that these ideals of spirit realities are attainable; that you and I can enter upon this long and eternal adventure with his assurance of the certainty of our ultimate arrival at the portals of Paradise. My brethren, I am a believer, I have embarked; I am on my way with you in this eternal venture. The Master says he came from the Father, and that he will show us the way. I am fully persuaded he speaks the truth. I am finally convinced that there are no attainable ideals of reality or values of perfection apart from the eternal and Universal Father.
2014 160:5.8 Ne samo što sam zaintrigiran besprijekornim idealima ove religije vašeg Učitelja, već sam tako duboko dirnut da moram priznati svoju vjeru u njegovu tvrdnju da su ti ideali stvarnosti duha ostvarljivi; da svi možemo krenuti na ovu dugu i vječnu pustolovinu s njegovom garancijom da ćemo na koncu doći do portala Raja. Braćo moja, ja sam vjernik, ja sam krenuo; ja sam na putu s vama u ovom vječnom poduhvatu. Učitelj kaže da je došao od Oca i da će nam pokazati put. Ja sam potpuno uvjeren da govori istinu. Ja sam napokon uvjeren da ne postoje bilo koji drugi ostvarljivi ideali stvarnosti ili vrijednosti savršenstva osim vječnog Oca Svih.
1955 160:5.9 I come, then, to worship, not merely the God of existences, but the God of the possibility of all future existences. Therefore must your devotion to a supreme ideal, if that ideal is real, be devotion to this God of past, present, and future universes of things and beings. And there is no other God, for there cannot possibly be any other God. All other gods are figments of the imagination, illusions of mortal mind, distortions of false logic, and the self-deceptive idols of those who create them. Yes, you can have a religion without this God, but it does not mean anything. And if you seek to substitute the word God for the reality of this ideal of the living God, you have only deluded yourself by putting an idea in the place of an ideal, a divine reality. Such beliefs are merely religions of wishful fancy.
2014 160:5.9 Dolazim, dakle, da se poklonim, ne samo Bogu egzistencija, nego i Bogu mogućnosti svih budućih egzistencija. Stoga vaša odanost vrhovnom idealu, ako je taj ideal stvaran, mora biti odanost ovom Bogu prošlih, sadašnjih i budućih svemira stvari i bića. I nema drugog Boga, jer ne može postojati drugi Bog. Svi drugi bogovi su izmišljotine, iluzije smrtnog uma, izobličenja lažne logike i osamoobmanjivi idoli onih koji su ih stvorili. Da, možete imati religiju bez tog Boga, ali ona ne znači ništa. A ako želite zamijeniti riječ Bog za taj ideal Boga živoga, samo se obmanjujete stavljanjem ideje na mjesto ideala, božanske stvarnosti. Takva vjerovanja nisu ništa drugo nego religije samoobmane.[7]
1955 160:5.10 I see in the teachings of Jesus, religion at its best. This gospel enables us to seek for the true God and to find him. But are we willing to pay the price of this entrance into the kingdom of heaven? Are we willing to be born again? to be remade? Are we willing to be subject to this terrible and testing process of self-destruction and soul reconstruction? Has not the Master said: “Whoso would save his life must lose it. Think not that I have come to bring peace but rather a soul struggle”? True, after we pay the price of dedication to the Father’s will, we do experience great peace provided we continue to walk in these spiritual paths of consecrated living.
2014 160:5.10 Ja vidim u učenjima Isusa religiju u njezinom najboljem obliku. Ovo nam evanđelje omogućuje da tražimo pravog Boga i da ga pronađemo. No, jesmo li spremni platiti cijenu za ulaz u kraljevstvo nebesko? Jesmo li spremni biti nanovo rođeni? Biti nanovo sazdani? Jesmo li spremni biti predmet ovog strašnog ispita, samouništenja i obnove duše? Nije li Učitelj rekao, "Tko hoće svoj život da sačuva, mora ga izgubiti. Nemojte misliti da sam došao donijeti na zemlju mir već borbu za dušu"? Istina, nakon što platimo cijenu predavanja volji Očevoj, doživjet ćemo duboki mir pod uvjetom da nastavimo ići ovim duhovnim stazama posvećenog življenja.[8][9]
1955 160:5.11 Now are we truly forsaking the lures of the known order of existence while we unreservedly dedicate our quest to the lures of the unknown and unexplored order of the existence of a future life of adventure in the spirit worlds of the higher idealism of divine reality. And we seek for those symbols of meaning wherewith to convey to our fellow men these concepts of the reality of the idealism of the religion of Jesus, and we will not cease to pray for that day when all mankind shall be thrilled by the communal vision of this supreme truth. Just now, our focalized concept of the Father, as held in our hearts, is that God is spirit; as conveyed to our fellows, that God is love.
2014 160:5.11 Sada doista odbacujemo primame poznatog reda postojanja, dok se bezrezervno posvećujemo traženju primama nepoznatog i neistraženog poretka postojanja budućeg života pustolovine u svjetovima duha gdje vlada viši idealizam božanske stvarnosti. Tragamo za simbolima značenja koji prenose našim bližnjima te koncepcije stvarnosti idealizma Isusove religije, dok se neumorno molimo za dan kad će cijelo čovječanstvo biti zaneseno zajedničkom vizijom ove vrhovne istine. U ovom času, naš usredotočeni koncept Oca koji je u našim srcima, je da je Bog duh; prenesen našim bližnjima, da je Bog ljubav[10][11].
1955 160:5.12 The religion of Jesus demands living and spiritual experience. Other religions may consist in traditional beliefs, emotional feelings, philosophic consciousness, and all of that, but the teaching of the Master requires the attainment of actual levels of real spirit progression.
2014 160:5.12 Isusova religija zahtijeva živo i duhovno iskustvo. Druge religije imaju tradicionalna vjerovanja, emocionalne osjećaje, filozofske svijesti i tako dalje, ali nauk Učitelja zahtijeva postizanje stvarnih razina istinskog napredovanja duha.
1955 160:5.13 The consciousness of the impulse to be like God is not true religion. The feelings of the emotion to worship God are not true religion. The knowledge of the conviction to forsake self and serve God is not true religion. The wisdom of the reasoning that this religion is the best of all is not religion as a personal and spiritual experience. True religion has reference to destiny and reality of attainment as well as to the reality and idealism of that which is wholeheartedly faith-accepted. And all of this must be made personal to us by the revelation of the Spirit of Truth.
2014 160:5.13 Svijest impulsa da budemo poput Boga nije istinska religija. Osjećaji emocija obožavanja Boga nisu prava religija. Spoznaja uvjerenja u samoodricanje i služenje Boga nije prava religija. Mudrost obrazloženja da je ovo najbolja postojeća religija nije religija kao osobno i duhovno iskustvo. Istinska religija usmjerava pažnju na sudbinu i stvarnost postignuća, kao i na stvarnost i idealizam onoga što se vjerom prihvaća od sveg srca. A sve to mora postati naše osobno iskustvo kroz otkrivenje Duha Istine.
1955 160:5.14 And thus ended the dissertations of the Greek philosopher, one of the greatest of his race, who had become a believer in the gospel of Jesus.
2014 160:5.14 I tako se završava disertacija grčkog filozofa, jednog od najvećih iz njegove rase, koji je postao vjernik u evanđelje Isusa.
¶ Reference
¶ Biblija
- ↑ 160:1.11 „Ne moja volja, nego tvoja neka bude“: Mt 6:10; Mt 26:39,42,44; Mk 14:36,39; Lk 11:2; Lk 22:42.
- ↑ 160:2.6 Nije dobro da čovjek bude sam: Post 2:18.
- ↑ 160:2.9 Sretni su oni koji tuguju: Mt 5:4; Lk 6:21b.
- ↑ 160:2.10 Mir na zemlji, dobra volja: Lk 2:14.
- ↑ 160:3.1 Čovjek ne može živjeti samo o kruhu: Pnz 8:3; Mt 4:4; Lk 4:4.
- ↑ 160:3.5 Evanđelje kraljevstva: Mt 4:23; Mt 9:35; Mt 24:14; Mk 1:14-15.
- ↑ 160:5.9 Jedan Bog i lažni bogovi: Izl 20:3; Izl 34:14; 2 Kr 17:35-38; Jr 25:6; Pnz 5:7; Pnz 8:19; Mk 12:33; 1 Kor 8:4-6.
- ↑ 160:5.10 Tko bi spasio život, mora ga izgubiti: Mt 10:39; Mt 16:25; Mk 8:35; Lk 9:24; Lk 17:33; Iv 12:25.
- ↑ 160:5.10 Ne dolazi donijeti mir: Mt 10:34; Lk 12:51.
- ↑ 160:5.11 Bog je duh: Iv 4:24; Rim 8:9; 2 Kor 3:17.
- ↑ 160:5.11 Bog je ljubav: 1 Iv 4:8,16.
¶ Druge knjige
- ↑ 160:4.10 160:4.10: Qur'an, ---, poglavlje 16, p. v72