Beginnings of a New Group Work

Quite a few years ago, I had a small group that was meeting a couple of times a month at my apartment, and an even smaller Full Moon group. With both of these groups we practiced different meditation techniques and did some chanting, but I did not give them the esoteric mantra. I had not given out the esoteric mantra to anyone. The mantra we chanted was a “deva mantra,” as it was given by the Devas and not by a Master. It was not nearly as powerful as the esoteric mantra, and it didn’t immediately connect you to the inner ashram. The tune is very beautiful, the first part when you chant you create a strong feeling of aspiration reaching up to the Divine, in the second part you feel like you’re kneeling down with a feeling of inner surrender, opening your heart to the Divine influence of the Deity. The words for the Deva mantra and the Esoteric mantra are the same, it’s the tune and the source of the tune that sets them apart. Mantra meditation is much more complex than what’s given out in books about it. It evolves as you make progress in your meditation discipline. There are many things that you become aware of and learn once you reach the point when you can see and become aware that you are making progress. This in itself is a particular stage on the path.

Why did I only give out the Deva mantra and not the Esoteric mantra to the group? This is a key question and its implications are very important. First of all, the teacher takes on an occult responsibility for his students. When you teach, especially esoteric subjects, you create a dharma connection with the student. This is different than a general personal karmic connection, say, if you are teaching someone at school or work. The level of responsibility is much greater. One involves the contemporary personality, while the other involves the soul. The giving of a mantra is even more of a responsibility. Then you are connecting the student with a particular path represented by a Deity and School. With the Esoteric mantra, not only are you involving and invoking the Deity, but also the Master and the Ashram. A teacher has to have esoteric knowledge plus Wisdom in these matters. He has to be able to gauge the student sincerity and strength, that’s why the “probationary path” is necessary. The student must prove their worth in an esoteric sense. Except under extraordinary circumstance, one cannot just jump into the deep end. For instance, one of Susie’s friend’s son had started meditating on his own from a very early age. He wasn’t interested in the usual things and activities most young boys are keen on. When I was in India, for some reason my thoughts focused on him and I saw that he had a link with one of the Masters. I also bought him a small statue of Lord Hanuman as a present. He was very enthusiastic about learning about Lord Hanuman. I told him about the Masters of Wisdom and a little about the Esoteric Tradition. I wanted to give him a prayer or type of invocation and how to visualize the Master to begin building a connection, to prepare him for the future. But to my surprise, I was given a strong command not to. At first, I persisted wanting to go ahead and help this kid on his quest. But the inner command got stronger and more definite. If you disobey, there is a good chance the Master will withdraw, and for a time may even severe the link you have with him. I really felt this happened to me after my failure in Varanasi (see Book 1). The important point is that before giving out certain types of esoteric teaching, the teacher has to see whether he is allowed too. If you read in the Mahatma Letter, many times the Master K.H., when faced with a particular dilemma regarding a student, would ask his superior, the Chohan, for direction.

A real teacher has achieved a certain stage of Essence awakening plus has a practical occult knowledge about the inner psychology of potential students. This is necessary, as a teacher must be able to get insights into what the student needs in order to make progress on the path. In another instance, there was an older woman, late 40’s, who was very attracted to the symbol of the ashram when she saw it. I found this very unusual, since up till now people generally never make a comment on it or even see it if it right in front of them. I had a feeling that she would be a good student with potential to help chant in our Full Moon group, where we now chant the esoteric mantra. I even got an inner ‘okay’ and that she did have a karmic connection with the school. The trouble was that she was ‘fixed’ in her spiritual ways, and not open to the Ashramic influences of the Masters. Her essence was too choked up by her spiritual personality, and she quickly withdrew from the regular group meetings. She said she had her own path and didn’t feel any connection with what I was teaching.

So, who is right? Her personality has strong Indian samskaras, which means that in her past lives she has been involved along this line of spiritual or religious teaching. Therefore, in this life she felt comfortable following such teachings again, re-walking the path of the past. But this is a personality reaction. The esoteric teaching would take away from this comfort zone, away from what she was used to. The esoteric connection was deep inside her, but she was not conscious of it, thus a teacher is needed to recognize it and to draw it out by helping to awaken the Essence that will recognize the truth. Thus, it says in the Bible, “many are called but few are chosen”. (#6 Mathew 22:14 KJV )