We shall know we are the truth. This premise shall serve as the foundation upon which all our thought in this work shall be erected.
QUALITIES OF ONE ON THE PATH OF REALIZATION
In the New Testament the principles of living that are needed in order for us to come into the true knowledge of God are set forth. The Holy Scripture tells us in Colossians 3:1-2, “If ye be risen with Christ seek those things which are above . . . Set your affections on the things above, not on earth. . .” In these verses it is being revealed that we must seek the Eternal, and not the temporal. It is imperative that we, “… look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). We must learn to discriminate between that which is eternal, “the real” and the temporal. Continuing, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God . . . When Christ, who is our life shall appear, then ye shall also appear with Him in glory . . . Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanliness, covetousness, idolatry . . . In which time ye also walked sometime, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth . . . Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds . . . And have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him” (Colossians 3:3-10).
And the scriptures further elaborate on this concept of the “New Man”, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). And scripture further exhorts us to, “. . . put off concerning the former conversation [ideas, opinions, beliefs] of the old man, which is corrupt [erroneous, false, based on unsound principles] according to the deceitful [deceptive, misleading] lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). As well, the Holy Scriptures reminds us, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:14-17).
Again, these Holy Bible verses imply that we must learn to discriminate between the Eternal and the temporal. The spiritual aspirant must develop spiritual discrimination and non-attachment—longing to know God (Spirit), separating themselves from non-believers. As well we must learn to control the mind, senses, and bodily passions and desires through spiritual practice and by having faith in the scriptures and spiritual teaching. We must change our way of thinking, knowing that our thoughts become our actions and our reality. Remembering, as a man thinketh; so is he (Proverbs 23:7).
At this time, I believe it is appropriate to stop and define the Christ as given to us by Father Hurley. Christ is defined as the wisdom and power of God. Wisdom is knowledge and the ability to apply it rightly and wisely. Knowledge, meaning to be acquainted with; to be aware of. Wise, meaning to have a proper understanding; to become aware of the true facts. So, if we have attained to a proper understanding of the knowledge of God, we shall realize that there is only one life, and that life is God. And the life that is our life is God. Thus, we realize our life is eternal and immortal. And, we shall realize our oneness with the Father, and become consciously aware of the presence of God within, experiencing eternal bliss and ecstasy.
In continuing, Ephesians 2:2-6 states, “Where in times past ye walked according to the course of this world (according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience). Among whom also we have had conversation in times past in the lust of the flesh; fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath even as others . . . But God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us . . . Even when we were dead [barren, cut-off], in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, [by grace are ye saved] . . . And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
Again, what I want to impress upon you is that God (Spirit) and worldliness cannot go together. Galatians 5:16-25 tells us, “This I say then, walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh . . . For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary, the one to the other: so that ye cannot do these things that ye would . . . But if ye be led of the spirit, ye are not under the law . . . Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanliness, lasciviousness . . . Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies . . . envyings, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God [Spirit] . . . But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith . . . Meekness, and temperance; against such there is such law . . . And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts . . . If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit.” These scriptural passages speak specifically to the fact that our progress and development along the spiritual path is brought about by not conforming to the beliefs and opinions of this world, but by being transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2). Again, this renewal is accomplished by spiritual discrimination and non-attachment, controlling the mind, senses, bodily passions and desires, and by having faith in the scriptures and spiritual teaching.
As we can see, special conditions must be fulfilled, before we can receive the Truth of God. Hindu philosophy also outlines special conditions, which must be fulfilled by the aspirant on the path of enlightenment. Yogi William Zorn(1968) in his spiritual treatise states, “according to the Hindu philosopher Sankaracharya, there are four spiritual qualifications that are required of aspirant who desires to know the nature of the Real Self. The renowned sage listed these four qualifications in his Viveka Chudamani [the Crest Jewel of Discrimination] (19-28).”1
These are: 1) Viveka, 2) Vairagya, 3) Shatsampatti, and 4) Mumukshutva.
In explanation, the first of these four qualifications is Viveka which means discrimination. According to these teachings the aspirant should learn to distinguish that which is permanent from that which is transient. He/she should know the Real (Eternal) from the unreal (temporal).
The second is Vairagya which means nonattachment. The aspirant on the path must overcome all desire for, and the attachment to, worldly objects. As long as there is a craving in the heart for something other than God, one will remain a slave to that desire.
The third qualification is Shatsampatti which consist of the Six Attributes, which are:
a) Shama—control over the mind and the ability to concentrate
b) Dama—Control over body and senses.
c) Uparati—Self-reliance, the state of not being dependent on anything or anyone.
d) Titiksha—Forbearance, the state of mind in which one can