Entering the Infinite

From the beginning of time, man, in spite of his bodily appetites and desires, in the midst of all his clinging to earthly and impermanent things, has ever been intuitively conscious of the limited, transient, and illusionary nature of his material existence, and in his sane and silent moments has tried to reach out into a comprehension of the Infinite, and has turned with tearful aspiration toward the restful Reality of the Eternal Heart.

Since the beginning of time, people have clung to earthly things that do not last. Yet despite their bodily appetites and desires, they have always sensed that material existence is limited, fleeting, and illusory. In their clear and quiet moments, they have tried to understand the Infinite. With tears and longing, they have turned toward the peaceful Reality of the Eternal Heart.

Whilst vainly imagining that the pleasures of earth are real and satisfying, pain and sorrow continually remind him of their unreal and unsatisfying nature. Ever striving to believe that complete satisfaction is to be found in material things, he is conscious of an inward and persistent revolt against this belief, which revolt is at once a refutation of his essential mortality, and an inherent and imperishable proof that only in the immortal, the eternal, the infinite can he find abiding satisfaction and unbroken peace.

He imagines in vain that earthly pleasures are real and satisfying. Yet pain and sorrow continually remind him that they are unreal and unsatisfying. He keeps trying to believe that material things can provide complete satisfaction. Yet he is aware of a persistent revolt within him against that belief. This revolt both disproves his essential mortality and offers inherent, lasting proof of a deeper truth. Only in the immortal, the eternal, and the infinite can he find lasting satisfaction and unbroken peace.

And here is the common ground of faith; here the root and spring of all religion; here the soul of Brotherhood and the heart of Love,—that man is essentially and spiritually divine and eternal, and that, immersed in mortality and troubled with unrest, he is ever striving to enter into a consciousness of his real nature.

This is the common ground of faith, the root and source of all religion, the soul of Brotherhood, and the heart of Love. Man is essentially and spiritually divine and eternal. Though immersed in mortality and troubled by unrest, he is always striving to become aware of his true nature.

The spirit of man is inseparable from the Infinite, and can be satisfied with nothing short of the Infinite, and the burden of pain will continue to weigh upon man’s heart, and the shadows of sorrow to darken his pathway until, ceasing from his wanderings in the dream-world of matter, he comes back to his home in the reality of the Eternal.

The human spirit is inseparable from the Infinite and can be satisfied with nothing less. Pain will continue to weigh on the heart, and sorrow will darken the path. This will continue until people stop wandering in the dream world of matter and return home to the reality of the Eternal.

As the smallest drop of water detached from the ocean contains all the qualities of the ocean, so man, detached in consciousness from the Infinite, contains within him its likeness; and as the drop of water must, by the law of its nature, at last return to his source, and lose himself in the great ocean of the Infinite.

Even the smallest drop of water separated from the ocean has all the qualities of the ocean. In the same way, man, separated in consciousness from the Infinite, contains its likeness within him. And just as the drop of water must, by its nature, return to its source, man must eventually return to his source and lose himself in the great ocean of the Infinite.

To re-become one with the Infinite is the goal of man. To enter into perfect harmony with the Eternal Law is Wisdom, Love and Peace. But this divine state is, and must ever be, incomprehensible to the merely personal. Personality, separateness, selfishness are one and the same, and are the antithesis of wisdom and divinity. By the unqualified surrender of the personality, separateness and selfishness cease, and man enters into the possession of his divine heritage of immortality and infinity.

The goal of humanity is to become one with the Infinite again. Perfect harmony with the Eternal Law is Wisdom, Love, and Peace. But this divine state is, and must always be, beyond the understanding of those focused only on their personal selves. Personality, separateness, and selfishness are all the same. They are the opposite of wisdom and divinity. By surrendering the personal self completely, people bring separateness and selfishness to an end. They then possess their divine heritage of immortality and infinity.

Such surrender of the personality is regarded by the worldly and selfish mind as the most grievous of all calamities, the most irreparable loss, yet it is the one supreme and incomparable blessing, the only real and lasting gain. The mind unenlightened upon the inner laws of being, and upon the nature and destiny of its own life, clings to transient appearances, things which have in them no enduring substantiality, and so clinging, perishes, for the time being, amid the shattered wreckage of its own illusions.

The worldly and selfish mind sees such surrender of the personality as the worst disaster and an irreparable loss. Yet it is the one supreme and incomparable blessing, the only real and lasting gain. A mind that does not understand the inner laws of being or the nature and destiny of its own life clings to passing appearances. These things have no lasting substance. By clinging to them, the mind perishes, for the time being, amid the wreckage of its own illusions.

Men cling to and gratify the flesh as though it were going to last forever, and though they try to forget the nearness and inevitability of its dissolution, the dread of death and of the loss of all that they cling to clouds their happiest hours, and the chilling shadow of their own selfishness follows them like a remorseless spectre.

Men cling to their bodies and indulge their desires as if their bodies would last forever. They try to forget that their bodies will soon and inevitably die. Yet the fear of death and of losing everything they cling to clouds their happiest hours. The chilling shadow of their own selfishness follows them like a relentless ghost.

And with the accumulation of temporal comforts and luxuries, the divinity within men is drugged, and they sink deeper and deeper into materiality, into the perishable life of the senses, and where there is sufficient intellect, theories concerning the immortality of the flesh come to be regarded as infallible truths. When a man’s soul is clouded with selfishness in any or every form, he loses the power of spiritual discrimination, and confuses the temporal with the eternal, the perishable with the permanent, mortality with immortality, and error with Truth. It is thus that the world has come to be filled with theories and speculations having no foundation in human experience. Every body of flesh contains within itself, from the hour of birth, the elements of its own destruction, and by the unalterable law of its own nature must it pass away.

As people accumulate worldly comforts and luxuries, the divinity within them is dulled. They sink deeper and deeper into materialism, into the perishable life of the senses. And where there is enough intellect, theories about the immortality of the flesh come to be regarded as unquestionable truths. When a person’s soul is clouded by selfishness in any form, they lose the ability to discern spiritual truth. They confuse the temporary with the eternal, the perishable with the permanent, mortality with immortality, and error with Truth. As a result, the world has become filled with theories and speculations that have no basis in human experience. From birth, every body of flesh contains the elements of its own destruction. By the unchanging law of its own nature, it must pass away.

The perishable in the universe can never become permanent; the permanent can never pass away; the mortal can never become immortal; the immortal can never die; the temporal cannot become eternal nor the eternal become temporal; appearance can never become reality, nor reality fade into appearance; error can never become Truth, nor can Truth become error. Man cannot immortalize the flesh, but, by overcoming the flesh, by relinquishing all its inclinations, he can enter the region of immortality. “God alone hath immortality,” and only by realizing the God state of consciousness does man enter into immortality.

What is perishable in the universe can never become permanent. What is permanent can never pass away. What is mortal can never become immortal. What is immortal can never die. What is temporary cannot become eternal, and what is eternal cannot become temporary. Appearance can never become reality, and reality can never fade into appearance. Error can never become Truth, and Truth can never become error. People cannot make the flesh immortal. But by overcoming the flesh and giving up all its inclinations, they can enter the realm of immortality. “God alone has immortality,” and only by attaining the God state of consciousness can people enter into immortality.

All nature in its myriad forms of life is changeable, impermanent, unenduring. Only the informing Principle of nature endures. Nature is many, and is marked by separation. The informing Principle is One, and is marked by unity. By overcoming the senses and the selfishness within, which is the overcoming of nature, man emerges from the chrysalis of the personal and illusory, and wings him self into the glorious light of the impersonal, the region of universal Truth, out of which all perishable forms come.

All nature, in its countless forms of life, is changeable and temporary. Only the guiding Principle of nature endures. Nature is made up of many things and is marked by separation. The guiding Principle is One and is marked by unity. By overcoming the senses and the selfishness within, a person overcomes nature. In doing so, they emerge from the cocoon of the personal and illusory. They take flight into the glorious light of the impersonal, the realm of universal Truth from which all temporary forms come.

Let men, therefore, practise self-denial; let them conquer their animal inclinations; let them refuse to be enslaved by luxury and pleasure; let them practise virtue, and grow daily into higher and ever higher virtue, until at last they grow into the Divine, and enter into both the practice and the comprehension of humility, meekness, forgiveness, compassion, and love, which practice and comprehension constitute Divinity.

Therefore, let men practice self-denial. Let them master their animal urges and refuse to be enslaved by luxury and pleasure. Let them practice virtue and grow more virtuous each day. At last, they will grow into the Divine, learning to practice and understand humility, meekness, forgiveness, compassion, and love. Practicing and understanding these qualities is what makes them Divine.

“Goodwill gives insight,” and only he who has so conquered his personality that he has but one attitude of mind, that of goodwill toward all creatures, is possessed of divine insight, and is capable of distinguishing the true from the false. The supremely good man, is therefore, the wise man, the divine man, the enlightened seer, the knower of the Eternal. Where you find unbroken gentleness, enduring patience, sublime lowliness, graciousness of speech, self-control, self-forgetfulness, and deep and abounding sympathy, look there for the highest wisdom, seek the company of such a one, for he has realized the Divine, he lives with the Eternal, he has become one with the Infinite. Believe not him that is impatient, given to anger, boastful, who clings to pleasure and refuses to renounce his selfish gratifications, and who practices not goodwill and far-reaching compassion, for such a one hath not wisdom, vain is all his knowledge, and his works and words will perish, for they are grounded on that which passes away.

“Goodwill gives insight.” Only someone who has so mastered his personality that he feels goodwill toward all creatures has divine insight. Only such a person can distinguish truth from falsehood. The supremely good man is therefore the wise man, the divine man, the enlightened seer who knows the Eternal. Where you find constant gentleness, lasting patience, sublime humility, gracious speech, self-control, self-forgetfulness, and deep, abundant sympathy, look there for the highest wisdom. Seek the company of such a person. He has realized the Divine, lives with the Eternal, and has become one with the Infinite. Do not believe someone who is impatient, quick to anger, or boastful. He clings to pleasure, refuses to give up selfish gratification, and does not practice goodwill and far-reaching compassion. Such a person has no wisdom, and all his knowledge is useless. His works and words will perish because they are based on what passes away.

Let a man abandon self, let him overcome the world, let him deny the personal; by this pathway only can he enter into the heart of the Infinite.

Let a person give up self, overcome the world, and deny personal desires. Only by this path can they enter the heart of the Infinite.

The world, the body, the personality are mirages upon the desert of time; transitory dreams in the dark night of spiritual slumber, and those who have crossed the desert, those who are spiritually awakened, have alone comprehended the Universal Reality where all appearances are dispersed and dreaming and delusion are destroyed.

The world, the body, and the personality are mirages in the desert of time. They are fleeting dreams in the dark night of spiritual sleep. Only those who have crossed the desert and awakened spiritually have understood the Universal Reality. There, all appearances vanish, and dreams and delusions are destroyed.

There is one Great Law which exacts unconditional obedience, one unifying principle which is the basis of all diversity, one eternal Truth wherein all the problems of earth pass away like shadows. To realize this Law, this Unity, this Truth, is to enter into the Infinite, is to become one with the Eternal.

There is one Great Law that demands complete obedience. There is one unifying principle behind all diversity. There is one eternal Truth in which all the problems of earth vanish like shadows. To realize this Law, this Unity, this Truth, is to enter the Infinite and become one with the Eternal.

To center one's life in the Great Law of Love is to enter into rest, harmony, peace. To refrain from all participation in evil and discord; to cease from all resistance to evil, and from the omission of that which is good, and to fall back upon unswerving obedience to the holy calm within, is to enter into the inmost heart of things, is to attain to a living, conscious experience of that eternal and infinite principle which must ever remain a hidden mystery to the merely perceptive intellect. Until this principle is realized, the soul is not established in peace, and he who so realizes is truly wise; not wise with the wisdom of the learned, but with the simplicity of a blameless heart and of a divine manhood.

To center your life on the Great Law of Love is to find rest, harmony, and peace. Take no part in evil or discord. Stop resisting evil, and do not neglect to do good. Instead, remain faithful to the sacred calm within. To do this is to reach the deepest heart of things. It is to have a living, conscious experience of the eternal and infinite principle. This principle must always remain a hidden mystery to an intellect that relies only on perception. Until the soul realizes this principle, it cannot find lasting peace. Anyone who realizes it is truly wise. Such a person is not wise in the way of the learned, but through the simplicity of a blameless heart and divine manhood.

To enter into a realization of the Infinite and Eternal is to rise superior to time, and the world, and the body, which comprise the kingdom of darkness; and is to become established in immortality, Heaven, and the Spirit, which make up the Empire of Light.

To realize the Infinite and Eternal is to rise above time, the world, and the body. These make up the kingdom of darkness. It is also to become established in immortality, Heaven, and the Spirit. These make up the Empire of Light.

Entering into the Infinite is not a mere theory or sentiment. It is a vital experience which is the result of assiduous practice in inward purification. When the body is no longer believed to be, even remotely, the real man; when all appetites and desires are thoroughly subdued and purified; when the emotions are rested and calm, and when the oscillation of the intellect ceases and perfect poise is secured, then, and not till then, does consciousness become one with the Infinite; not until then is childlike wisdom and profound peace secured.

Entering into the Infinite is not merely a theory or a feeling. It is a living experience that comes from diligent practice in inner purification. A person must no longer believe that the body is, even remotely, the true self. All appetites and desires must be fully subdued and purified. The emotions must be still and calm. The intellect must stop wavering, and perfect balance must be achieved. Only then does consciousness become one with the Infinite. Only then are childlike wisdom and profound peace attained.

Men grow weary and gray over the dark problems of life, and finally pass away and leave them unsolved because they cannot see their way out of the darkness of the personality, being too much engrossed in its limitations. Seeking to save his personal life, man forfeits the greater impersonal Life in Truth; clinging to the perishable, he is shut out from a knowledge of the Eternal.

People grow weary and gray over the dark problems of life. In the end, they die and leave these problems unsolved. They cannot see their way out of the darkness of their personal selves because they are too absorbed in their limitations. By seeking to save his personal life, a person loses the greater impersonal Life in Truth. By clinging to what passes away, he is shut out from knowing the Eternal.

By the surrender of self all difficulties are overcome, and there is no error in the universe but the fire of inward sacrifice will burn it up like chaff; no problem, however great, but will disappear like a shadow under the searching light of self-abnegation. Problems exist only in our own self-created illusions, and they vanish away when self is yielded up. Self and error are synonymous. Error is involved in the darkness of unfathomable complexity, but eternal simplicity is the glory of Truth.

By giving up the self, all difficulties are overcome. There is no error in the universe that the fire of inner sacrifice cannot burn up like chaff. No problem, however great, can survive the searching light of self-denial. It disappears like a shadow. Problems exist only in illusions we create ourselves, and they vanish when we give up the self. Self and error mean the same thing. Error is tangled in darkness and impossible complexity, but eternal simplicity is the glory of Truth.

Love of self shuts men out from Truth, and seeking their own personal happiness they lose the deeper, purer, and more abiding bliss. Says Carlyle—“There is in man a higher than love of happiness. He can do without happiness, and instead thereof find blessedness.

Self-love shuts people out from Truth. By seeking their own personal happiness, they lose a deeper, purer, and more lasting bliss. As Carlyle says: “There is something higher in a person than the love of happiness. A person can do without happiness and find blessedness instead.

. . . Love not pleasure, love God. This is the Everlasting Yea, wherein all contradiction is solved; wherein whoso walks and works, it is well with him.”

. . . Do not love pleasure. Love God. This is the Everlasting Yea, in which all contradictions are resolved. Whoever walks and works in it will be well.”

He who has yielded up that self, that personality that men most love, and to which they cling with such fierce tenacity, has left behind him all perplexity, and has entered into a simplicity so profoundly simple as to be looked upon by the world, involved as it is in a network of error, as foolishness. Yet such a one has realized the highest wisdom, and is at rest in the Infinite. He “accomplishes without striving,” and all problems melt before him, for he has entered the region of reality, and deals, not with changing effects, but with the unchanging principles of things. He is enlightened with a wisdom which is as superior to ratiocination, as reason is to animality. Having yielded up his lusts, his errors, his opinions and prejudices, he has entered into possession of the knowledge of God, having slain the selfish desire for heaven, and along with it the ignorant fear of hell; having relinquished even the love of life itself, he has gained supreme bliss and Life Eternal, the Life which bridges life and death, and knows its own immortality. Having yielded up all without reservation, he has gained all, and rests in peace on the bosom of the Infinite.

A person who has given up the self, the personality that people love most and cling to so fiercely, has left all confusion behind. That person has entered a state of profound simplicity. The world, caught in a network of error, sees this simplicity as foolishness. Yet such a person has found the highest wisdom and rests in the Infinite. He “accomplishes without striving,” and all problems melt away before him. For he has entered the realm of reality and deals with the unchanging principles of things, not their changing effects. His wisdom is as far above reasoning as reason is above animal nature. He has given up his lusts, errors, opinions, and prejudices, and has gained knowledge of God. He has killed the selfish desire for heaven and, with it, the ignorant fear of hell. He has given up even the love of life itself. In doing so, he has gained supreme bliss and Life Eternal, the Life that bridges life and death and knows its own immortality. Having given up all without reservation, he has gained all and rests in peace in the embrace of the Infinite.

Only he who has become so free from self as to be equally content to be annihilated as to live, or to live as to be annihilated, is fit to enter into the Infinite. Only he who, ceasing to trust his perishable self, has learned to trust in boundless measure the Great Law, the Supreme Good, is prepared to partake of undying bliss.

Only someone who has become free enough from self to be equally content to live or be annihilated is fit to enter the Infinite. Only someone who has stopped trusting his perishable self and learned to trust the Great Law, the Supreme Good, without limit is ready to share in undying bliss.

For such a one there is no more regret, nor disappointment, nor remorse, for where all selfishness has ceased these sufferings cannot be; and whatever happens to him he knows that it is for his own good, and he is content, being no longer the servant of self, but the servant of the Supreme. He is no longer affected by the changes of earth, and when he hears of wars and rumors of wars his peace is not disturbed, and where men grow angry and cynical and quarrelsome, he bestows compassion and love. Though appearances may contradict it, he knows that the world is progressing, and that

Such a person no longer feels regret, disappointment, or remorse. For where all selfishness has ended, these sufferings cannot exist. Whatever happens to him, he knows it is for his own good, and he is content. He no longer serves the self, but the Supreme. He is no longer affected by the changes of this world. When he hears of wars and rumors of wars, his peace is not disturbed. Where people grow angry, cynical, and quarrelsome, he offers compassion and love. Though appearances may suggest otherwise, he knows that the world is progressing, and that

When a fierce storm is raging none are angered about it, because they know it will quickly pass away, and when the storms of contention are devastating the world, the wise man, looking with the eye of Truth and pity, knows that it will pass away, and that out of the wreckage of broken hearts which it leaves behind the immortal Temple of Wisdom will be built.

When a fierce storm rages, no one is angry about it because they know it will soon pass. In the same way, when storms of conflict devastate the world, the wise person sees them with truth and pity. They know that the conflict will pass. They also know that the immortal Temple of Wisdom will be built from the wreckage of broken hearts it leaves behind.

Sublimely patient; infinitely compassionate; deep, silent, and pure, his very presence is a benediction; and when he speaks men ponder his words in their hearts, and by them rise to higher levels of attainment. Such is he who has entered into the Infinite, who by the power of utmost sacrifice has solved the sacred mystery of life.

He is supremely patient and infinitely compassionate, deep, quiet, and pure. His very presence is a blessing. When he speaks, people reflect on his words in their hearts and rise to higher levels of achievement. Such is the person who has entered the Infinite. Through the power of the greatest sacrifice, he has solved the sacred mystery of life.