Newsletter for the Mission of Maitreya, Eternal Divine Path
Issue #12 – September 1, 2001
PURIFICATION
We are approaching the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, an 8-day celebration of God, the Holy Days that He commanded us to keep forever and ever.
We keep these days Holy. During these days we meditate and pray and have Satsang and lectures; We discuss The Greatest Sign and its relationship to history and the inner and outer world; we do community service; we cook together and eat together in joy and fellowship. It is time for renewal of the spirit, soul and body. It is a time for contemplation of what the goal of our lives is, and how we can make this world a better place for all.
Usually before the Feast it is a time of purification, physically, mentally and spiritually, so that during the Feast we can fully bask in His Love and Knowledge.
This issue of the newsletter will be special, concentrating on purification, in preparation for the upcoming Feast. There are quotes from the Scripture THOTH (The Holiest Of The Holies, The Last Testament) and Satsangs given by Maitreya; also there are some contributions from some disciples about the purification techniques they use before the Feast.
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“In this process to purify, a person becomes more aware, on a daily basis, of his/her actions and thoughts. We know God is watching us and we want to please Him. So, by the act of purification we internalize and externalize qualities of a more spiritualized person for God, and will be better servants for Him and the Mission.” (a disciple)
PURIFICATION: means to become clean internally and externally, physically, mentally and spiritually: to avoid all things which alter this process or to create an environment which will accelerate the processes of purification.
Anything which stimulates the first three chakras unnecessarily is a hindrance toward purification, especially for those who have not overcome the influences of the external world over themselves and will be affected by it easily. [THOTH, Glossary]
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“Before stepping upon the most remarkable path; The Eternal Divine Path, I never gave much thought about purification.
“The Path to God Maitreya has revealed for all, is the way to purification in many different levels. This path, I see, as a gift. To come to the realization that we have a need to purify and to change our consciousness to a higher level and to see that there is a need to improve ourselves in so many ways has been a blessing. We are taught ‘to become clean internally and externally, physically, mentally and spiritually.’ After many years on the Path I am coming to see that to purify is a daily, constant and progressive way of life.” (a disciple)
LIFE IS A STRUGGLE
Life is a struggle (jahad) within and without. The struggle within is the fight between the higher and lower natures. This battle involves warding off the power of the tama guna (the force bending the Soul toward the external world) to establish the Kingdom of Heaven within (
). The external struggle is to overcome excess attraction of Maya (illusion of life) and establish the Kingdom Of Heaven On Earth (
).
All these struggles are to create an environment that allows each individual to grow to his fullest potential.
Those who say life is an illusion are greatly mistaken. Life and the manifested universe are not illusions, but excess attraction to this manifested universe is illusion. [THOTH, Readings (The Koran), Tablet 8 verses 8-11]
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“I like to spend much of the Sabbath before the Feast in ‘rounding.’ It was something I picked up when I used to do TM meditation, although I adjusted it for the Mission. I say the Mission Rosary. Then I meditate for 20 minutes. Then I do yoga postures for 20 minutes. Then the cycle is repeated: Rosary, Meditation, and Yoga. Several rounds can be done, and with each round the meditation is deeper and deeper. Sometimes for the Rosary round, instead of the full rosary, I just use the beads as a type of jappa meditation, saying the Haree Om Shii Hung, Om Nam Kevalam mantra with each bead.” (a disciple)
MEDITATION
Meditation, in the simplest terms, means to calm the mind and direct its attention from the external world to the spiritual world.
So silence, fasting, a good environment, purification, a healthy body, etc., all help in having a strong calm mind.
Contemplation and concentration on higher thoughts makes a person rise above the lower self to the higher self… [THOTH, Readings (The Koran), T 9 v 1-3]
YOGA POSTURES (ASANAS)
As the muscles become stronger by exercise, the ethereal body becomes purified and stronger by yoga postures (asanas). That is why we can call asanas “innersize” in contrast to exercise which affects the external.
These postures affect the glands which control the energy centers in the body (chakras), and bring a balance between the physical body, spirit (ethereal body) and Soul (Self).
It is also recommended to practice asanas, especially in the beginning of the spiritual journey and so strengthen the spirit and become familiar with the body and how it functions….[THOTH, Essays 3, T 12 v 20-22]
SABBATH
Sabbath is kind of rhythmical. It brings a rhythm into human life – six days of work and one day of rest. This one day of rest is designed for spiritual purposes, for keeping that day holy. So the focus will be more spiritual, than physical restfulness. When you bring your thoughts and energy to this level of keeping everything holy on that day, it focuses your mind to higher things. So it can become much more restful than just sleeping. [Satsangs With Maitreya, 1988, p. 11]
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“THOTH is the true, pure word of God. When we read this Holy Book, we are cleansed and purified by His Word.” (a disciple)
“Reading THOTH, the Satsangs, Keys, and all the other writings of Maitreya, and also the Scriptures that God has given us through the disciples of the First Begotten Son in previous times upon the earth, help us to cleanse our minds and hearts. Of course, we should look at what is written in other Scriptures through the eyes of THOTH because THOTH is the first Scripture that was actually written by the hand of the First Begotten Son.” (a disciple)
STUDY OF SCRIPTURES
Scriptures are written from the revelations by God to those who are in tune with Him. They are Satsangs which cleanse the Soul.
Some say there is a jungle in all the Scriptures and you will be lost and more confused about the truth because of them.
If we constantly have The Greatest Sign in front of our eyes and remember the time, place and people the Scriptures were revealed to, if we keep in mind that some of the Scriptures have been changed by some carnal minds, and if we remember the truth behind The Greatest Sign, then we will not be lost.
However, the real truth is common sense which evolves after much study and when we go beyond books and develop a direct relationship with The Holy Ghost. But before that connection occurs, Scriptures are very good guides, with having The Greatest Sign in mind…. [THOTH, Readings (The Koran), T 13 v 1-4]
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“Sometimes when I feel anxious or nervous, if I just sit and concentrate on The Greatest Sign for a few minutes, my mind calms completely and then I am able to meditate.” (a disciple)
YANTRA: A crystallized ideology in the shape of a painting, symbol, or sign; or a shape or painting which guides the mind into its deeper levels. [THOTH, Glossary]
The Greatest Sign really can be called the Shrii Shrii Para Maha Yantra. It means the greatest yantra. It really covers the whole creation. It is like you are trying to find out about the creation. You can think about creation. You can meditate on creation. You can realize creation. You can realize God – and then realize Him more…
So whenever you sit in front of The Greatest Sign, enjoy it. It is recommended to sit and gaze on The Greatest Sign. It is a beautiful practice. It brings you to the focus. It brings you to the realization. It cleans your chakras. It cleans your body, mind, Spirit and is a very powerful, the most powerful yantra. [Satsangs With Maitreya, 1988, p. 17-18]
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“I found that putting God’s light on desires that keep us from focusing on the Mission is very helpful. Eventually I hope this (and all other processes of purification) will help us to concentrate solely on God and His work and will. It is truly the only way if we are to reach our highest potential and help all of humanity to do the same!!” (a disciple)
CONTROL OF THE LOWER SELF
As the tama guna is the devil when the Soul is under its influence and becomes a shining star (Lucifer) when it is overcome, so is the lower nature. The lower nature in itself can be a hindrance in spiritual progress, or, if its selfish tendencies are overcome, can be used for physical, mental and spiritual progress of self and others (others as the rest of the universe)…. [THOTH, Essays I, T 3 v 22-23]
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“To do with purifying the body; two things have helped me tremendously. First, giving up caffeine and most of the sugar I used, was a healthy way to begin purifying. Beginning at the same time I ate only fruits, grains and vegetables. I did this for two or three months. I felt much cleaner and more energetic as the caffeine and sugar cleared from my body. And the wonderful fruits, grains and vegetables were very satisfying, so I was not plagued by any cravings. I felt more calm, focused and meditative from this process. This worked well for my situation, as I felt the caffeine and sugars created a lot of nervous energy and disrupted my focus on the Mission. It is nice to have a more Godly and effective body temple.” (a disciple)
FOOD
In general food can be categorized into three types:
1- Satvic (sentient): fruit, milk and milk products, grains, most vegetables, most legumes, natural sweeteners, nuts and seeds, seaweed (except kelp), black pepper, green pepper, cooked dried mustard (in small quantities).
2- Rajasic (mutative): chocolate, coffee and tea, soda pop (especially colas), lentils (tamasic at night), sea kelp, chilies, vinegar.
3- Tamasic (static, crudifying): meat and fish, poultry, seafood, eggs, onions, garlic, mushrooms, tamari, red lentils, mustard spread, uncooked dried mustard, stale spoiled food, cayenne (in small quantities is rajasic), wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages, tobacco, blue cheese with mold.
The satvic (sentient) foods are for consciousness and create sentient vibrations….
The animals are divided into clean and unclean. Those which are clean have flesh which is easier to digest and is convertible to human flesh. Those which are unclean are not good for human consumption…[THOTH, Essays 3, T 6 v 1-2, 7-8]
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“Drinking lots of water (with lemon), walking, prayer, meditation, activities with the Mission, reading Scriptures; all of these things help one in purification.” (a disciple)
“A dry brush massage is a great purifier of the skin. Take a rough brush or cloth, and rub the skin all over. Then take a shower, and all the dead skin and impurities will be washed away.” (a disciple)
WATER IS PURIFIER
Water has always been one of the purifying elements in history. Hebrews as early as the time of Abraham used it for their purification, especially before eating. Fire also is a purifying element and has been used extensively in pagan religions and Jewish sacrifices….
Also the act of baptism is a symbol of switching from using fire as a purifier to water. Even animal sacrifice would seem cruel in the eyes of the humans in the great scale that Jews used to do, so water and baptism replaced animal sacrifice for purification.
But real purification is overcoming the lower nature, to be purified in the sacred fire of meditation and be baptized by the water of the spirit…. [THOTH, Readings (The Koran), T 16 v 4-9]
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“I always try to juice fast for a few days to a week before the Feast of Tabernacles. For me, it is one of the best ways to increase energy, create more devotion for God (it makes me really want to meditate and pray) and increase mental concentration.” (a disciple)
FASTING
It is recommended to fast on the full moons, first moons, eleven days after the full moon, and eleven days after the first moon. It is also recommended to fast on Sabbath. Fasting on the full and first moons is especially recommended for single people and renunciates (sannyasins). The fast should start at sunset until the sunset of the next day. If this seems too long, a fast from sunrise to sunset is advisable.
The purpose of fasting (in addition to many benefits which are derived from it, physically and mentally) is spiritual. That is, fasting should be done to bring the person closer to the Lord and make him realize the self.
That is why it is recommended to keep away from talkativeness and sexual intercourse, and to direct the thoughts toward God.
A complete fast is one without food or liquid. However, those who do long fasting and/or those whose bodies are not used to fasting, can fast with water and/or juice. [THOTH, Essays 3, T 3 v 1-7]
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“Service is another way to purify. Of course, by service we mean doing what is necessary, what is helpful, in the right time, at the right place, for the Community, and also for the larger community in which we live. For example, last year we all went to our local library and cleaned the books in the children’s section. This is service to the community. It was needed. It was done in the right time with the right ideation and there was no expectation of reward. All work done with the awareness that God is the Doer is from knowledge.” ( a disciple)
Meditation is a state when God talks to a person. Prayer is when a person talks to God! That is why in meditation one feels Oneness with God or being Him. Without being humble, this might create a superiority feeling in the person who meditates.
This is the reason why selfless service is recommended for the disciples, to bring a balance between a great feeling of being One with God and the humbleness of being selfless (His servant). Prayer also does the same thing. In order for a person to kneel down and pray to God, he or she should humble the self to do so.
Therefore, meditation and prayer go hand-in-hand. They bring a balance to a person. Meditation makes a person to be with God; prayer makes him humble. Prayer in fact is a spiritual service (not being self-centered) to the Self. [THOTH, Supplements, “Meditation and Prayer”].
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“My question to myself is: Am I doing this with complete detachment? Or am I doing a service quickly and thoughtlessly, with my thoughts on my next task, rather than feeling thankfulness for Him allowing me to work in His Service? Purification of the body is very easy, compared to purification of my mind…” (a disciple)
PURITY (PURITY OF BODY, MIND AND ENVIRONMENT)
…As the body becomes dirty in a day or two because of the unclean particles outside of it, the mind becomes dirty even faster than that. If we want to have clean bodies all the time, then we should stay in the shower twenty-four hours a day. That is also true about the mind and spirit. If we want to keep our minds clean and pure, then we should stay in His Shower of Grace twenty-four hours a day in order to prevent any impurities from entering into the consciousness. That is why we should love Him with all our mind, all our heart, and all our being twenty-four hours of the day. That is the only way if we want to stay pure in a crude environment, and that is the only way if we want to eventually create a pure environment also. “We make the world with our thoughts and the world makes our thoughts.” Therefore, there should be a simultaneous purification of the environment and an individual’s mind.
Only after we have created a pure mind might we understand Him and His Laws on deeper levels, and then we are able to keep our bodies and Souls pure also. Then a person will become pure in heart, and only the pure in heart can see God. [THOTH, Essays I, T 5 v 26-29]
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“It is always good to begin to purify by keeping our minds immersed in the teachings of the Mission of Maitreya. However, just before the Feast it is good to really put away the writings of the world, watching unnecessary TV programs, etc., and use that time to let our minds bathe in the Truth that God is revealing to us.” (a disciple)
FIFTEEN COMMANDMENTS
11- Internal and External Cleanliness: To maintain purity and cleanliness of mind, body and environment.
- The Soul becomes unclean faster than the mind, and the mind faster than the body.
- To think about God all the time is like being spiritually in the shower of His Grace all the time.
- To do impure actions, not follow the Daharma, or do harm to others will affect our own Souls more than the victim.
- The Commandments, “Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy” (to rest and contemplate God), “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,” and “Do not desire anything which rightfully belongs to him,” and also other Commandments, are all related to this Commandment, and are for purification. [THOTH, Essays 3, T 5 v 26-29]
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“Of course, our bodies, as the temples of the Lord, should be purified too. The use of the enema to cleanse the lower bowel, and taking a bath with some detoxification agent such as a ginger bath are other good processes to detoxify the body. There are many such good processes.” (a disciple)
WASHING OF THE COLON
One of the reasons for sickness and lethargy is toxins in the body. The greatest source of toxins in the body is from the colon. A clogged and inefficient digestive system can be very disturbing to the health of the body. By cleaning the colon regularly, the digestive system will be greatly helped. This also keeps the most toxic part of the body clean and detoxified…. [THOTH, Essays 3, T 12 v 1-2]
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“Dressing modestly is another way to bring our bodies and minds, and the minds of others, into a greater degree of purification. What our eyes see, we desire. If our outward appearance helps in any way to draw those ‘looking’ to see the beauty of what is within, isn’t that purer than to attract physically?” (a disciple)
CLOTHING
Clothes should be decent and modest in appearance, and according to the situation in such a way that an upright mind would not object.
It is better for men and women to wear distinct clothing. [THOTH, Essays 3, T 1, v 14-15]
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“As I was reading THOTH, I noticed that the Day of Atonement is a few days prior to the start of the Feast of Tabernacles. So this year, on September 24th, although I have to work, I will spend the day fasting and quiet, and dedicate my life again to His Cause, to atone for my past bad deeds, to have a fresh start, and a joyous Feast of Tabernacles with a new resolve and purpose.” (a disciple)
FEASTS AND HOLY DAYS OF THE LORD
…9- On the tenth day (evening of the ninth to the evening of the tenth) of the seventh month is the day of atonement, a holy convocation, with no work (not at all). Celebrate this Sabbath by atonement to the Lord.
10- The Fifteenth day of the seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles and for seven days there will be a feast. On the first day a holy convocation, and no servile work. [THOTH, Essays I, T 15 v 29]
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“I was also seeing how purifying doing The Reminder is every morning and night. Like I’ve heard Maitreya say before ‘a shower for the soul.’ Every day we go out into the world and take on a lot of what the world tries to dish out to us as the truth. And I’m sure we bring some of this junk home with us each evening. But The Reminder purifies and clears away much of the worldliness as we say it and listen to the real Truth behind this universe.
“Also I believe saying The Reminder in the morning before we go out makes us greater soldiers for the Lord and more resilient to taking on the Maya of the world.
“I think in the Communities of Light people will be able to purify and stay in the shower of His Grace 24 hours a day by using the tools we have such as The Reminder.” (a disciple)
THE REMINDER
The very basis for doing The Reminder is to bring the mind from the worldly energy toward Godly or spiritual energy. The very reason for giving this practice is to bring the attention or energy from worldliness to a spiritual focus.
The mind has a tendency to chatter, to keep us busy and make us think about mundane matters. If we are not directing our energy toward God or toward higher energy, the mind becomes dirty, very fast. Like it says in THOTH, if we do not take a shower every couple of days, we will be very dirty and uncomfortable. If the body becomes dirty in a few days, the mind is even more sensitive than the body, so it becomes dirty even faster than the body. So if we try to take a shower at least once a day, we have to clear the mind more than once a day.
That is why we recommend to do The Reminder twice a day or more. Doing The Reminder, Kirtan, chanting, dancing and meditating – all these are for purifying the spirit and the mind, and for bringing the attention from the world to the Spirit. [Satsangs With Maitreya, 1988, p.51]
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“I often wonder, what type of purification will humanity have to go through with all the injustices they have done to each other?…” (a disciple)
PERIOD OF PURIFICATION
According to the prophecies, we have to go through a period of purification. Although wars are terrible and the suffering they bring to humanity is terrible, yet suffering is a kind of purification.
It seems like humanity is more receptive to the Truth after a great suffering. They go toward the Truth in suffering. When they are in trouble they say, “Oh God, please help me out and I will be your servant from now on.”…
So if everyone came today and said, “We accept that these are all religions of One God, there is One God, there is One Earth, we have to share it with one another and live like brothers and sisters,” then what are we going to have? Peace on earth, aren’t we? But how many people are willing to accept this right now? [Satsangs With Maitreya, 1988, p.38]
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Prophecy #4: This month’s prophecy is about the Son of God coming to Purify humanity at all levels (written by a disciple).
In the book of Ezekiel, God promises that He will create a new city and establish a new temple:
Ezekiel continues by explaining the new city and temple as God reveals to him, but the meaning of this verse is the same as in the 21st chapter of Revelation when God brings about, "…a new heaven and a new earth…" (Rev. 21:1). This chapter is explained in THOTH, here is a part of its explanation:
So in Ezekiel's vision this new city was the coming of Pure Consciousness in those who have purified themselves. Of course Maitreya has brought all the knowledge needed to reach Pure Consciousness, and this fulfills the prophecy alone, but there are other points that Ezekiel makes that help us to see the fulfillment of his words.
In the previous chapter of Ezekiel, God promises that He will scatter the Jews across the world and that He shall bring them back to live together in Jerusalem and it is then that Ezekiel sees Jerusalem change into a new city. Here is the time prophecy that God gives us to know when the path to Pure Consciousness will be made clear:
This prophecy was fulfilled when the Jews returned to Jerusalem in 1948. It is shortly after this that we can expect the Messiah to bring the teachings that lead to Pure Consciousness. There is still one other place in this section of Ezekiel that assures us that the Messiah will be Maitreya, it is in chapter 43, and God is still explaining the meaning of the New Jerusalem to Ezekiel. In that chapter in verse three, we gain the final piece of knowledge we need to conclude this prophecy:
The Chebar River is a river in modern day Iran (Persia) and Ezekiel falls on his face because he sees the 'glory of God' come into the New Jerusalem. Maitreya was born in Persia and the Chebar River helps to solidify where the Messiah will come from. Also, Maitreya’s Mission began after the unification of Israel in 1948. With these prophecies fulfilled we can be confident in God's Plan to purify humanity and bring everything into Pure Consciousness:
"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." (Rev. 21:3).
"Those people will reach Pure Consciousness (tabernacle of God), where God is. They will dwell with Him" (THOTH, T 32 V 6-7).
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For the daily schedules, go to:
/fot/2001/0930%20Open%20Sunday.htm
To learn how to connect to our conference room, go to:
/english/conference_room_English.htm
Usually there is a Satsang with Maitreya the every Saturday. This month, however, it will be the Open House Satsang during the Feast, Friday October 5th at 7:15 PM MST (open the announcement below. It can be printed and posted also!):
Sal-Om! (We salute the Divinity within you…) May your days be Holy, Happy and Pure!