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NOTE: This answer was given on July 14, 2007, during
the Shangra-la conference in Los Angeles, California.
Answer from Maitreya:
When a lifestream grows on
the path, it will gain a certain attainment. This might be an attainment
about how to control the physical realm, making use of the laws that
guide this realm. This can give a lifestream the ability, for example,
to manifest certain psychic or even material phenomena. You have seen
examples of people who had psychic abilities or could manifest physical
substances. Yet these people did not have true spiritual attainment.
So the real understanding here is that it is possible for people to
have a certain attainment in terms of having mastery of mind over matter
without having the corresponding attainment of the heart—which
means that they will use that attainment only for selfless purposes.
Meaning they use it to raise up the All instead of raising themselves
up in comparison to others.
You see the difference—that there is always a risk that even though
a person has attained some mastery over the material realm, that mastery
can be used for self-centered purposes rather than being used to advance
the greater Self that is in all life.
Added by Jesus 9-15-2007:
It is important for you to recognize the distinction between having
an outer attainment and a high – inner – state of consciousness.
As science has demonstrated, the material universe functions according
to certain laws that are mechanical in nature. There are certain higher
laws that have not yet been discovered by science, and it is possible
for a person to attain knowledge of and some degree of mastery over
these laws without having purified his or her consciousness of selfishness.
So a high state of consciousness means having a low degree of self-centeredness,
having overcome the illusion of the separate self.
In other words, mastery of mind over matter has a certain mechanical
aspect, and one can attain a limited mastery that will still seem impressive
to the average human being. Thus, one can produce “signs and wonders”
without having the purity of heart that is a sign of a high state of
consciousness.
What Maitreya is talking about in his book is beings who
fell in higher spheres even though they had attained high outer
positions in the societies of those spheres. Thus, they had an outer
knowledge and attainment, but they were using it only to raise up themselves
in comparison to the people instead of using it to serve the people
and raise up the All. The reason being, of course, that these lifestreams
had not overcome the duality consciousness, and thus still saw themselves
as separate beings, set apart from the people—thus having the
potential to take on the appearance of being better than the people.
This meaningless comparison and value judgment is only possible for
people who are blinded by duality.
Some of these lifestreams are still embodied today, and some of them
have attained high positions in society or set themselves up as spiritual
leaders. When evaluating any spiritual teacher, it is important to consider
the person’s intentions, and one measure of this is how the teacher
displays his or her knowledge and/or abilities. Is this done to raise
up the people or is it done to raise up the separate self?
One way to evaluate this is to consider the following questions:
-
Is the teacher displaying
abilities in order to produce an effect that actually helps others
or is it a "frivolous” display? For example, feeding
the multitudes and healing the sick clearly helps others, whereas
bending spoons or having ashes fly from your hands produces no beneficial
effect.
- Is the teacher using
an ability in order to illustrate that all have the potential to attain
mastery of mind over matter, or is it done to set the teacher up as
being above others?
However, discernment is needed
even here, for it is quite possible to do something that is useful –
such as healing the sick – while still doing it with an intent
of elevating the separate self. This is proven by certain Christian
preachers who seek to heal the sick in order to either make themselves
seem special or to prove the superiority of their particular brand of
Christianity —a version that is out of touch with my true teachings.
I warned about this in several statements. For example, in this quote
I make it clear that certain activities can be taken by force:
And from the days
of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence,
and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12)
In the following quote I
warned against those who show signs and wonders in order to make people
follow them:
For there shall
arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs
and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive
the very elect. (Matthew 24:24)
Finally, I warned against
following those who set themselves up as leaders, but who are blind
because they have not seen the essential truth of the spiritual path,
namely that the separate self is an illusion:
Let them alone:
they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind,
both shall fall into the ditch. (Matthew 15:14)
There is a ditch on either
side of the road – what I called the broad way that leads to destruction
– and this represents the two dualistic extremes. So by following
the blind leaders who are seeking to elevate the separate self rather
than letting that separate self die on the cross, you will be stuck
in duality instead of following the strait and narrow way – the
way that has no duality for it is a single line – that leads to
Christ consciousness.
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Copyright
© 2007 by Kim Michaels |
