matters, because, obviously, the only thing that is required is for
him to change within. Man has to become changed within before his
life can be altered. His thoughts, his ideals, his attitude towards
life must all become transformed. When this change has been effected,
he not only begins to repair his present life, but he creates a fairer
and nobler life for the future.
[5] This is the inner secret of all esoteric teaching. The new
birth, or regeneration, means the awakening of the soul to
conscious immortality. The old self, that was bound to the
wheel of fate and the plane of cause and effect from which it
could never free itself, owing to the fact that it was
continually binding itself to the wheel afresh, through
following selfish desires, dies, and a new self is born. In
other words, the consciousness is raised from the plane of sin
and death, of sensuality and desire, of restriction and
captivity, to the higher plane of Spirit, where man realizes
that he is a son of God. He discovers that the Divine Spark
within is his true self. He realizes also that he has always
lived--in his real Spiritual Self. Beginning and end, like
change and decay, belong purely to the material plane and have
no place in Reality. They form part of this present three
dimensional existence but have no reality. Endless being is
the reality. Anything short of this is mere illusion. It is
not necessary, therefore, to believe in the theory of
reincarnation or that all our experiences must of necessity
take place on this plane. Sufficient to know that we can never
die, that we cannot escape from ourselves, and that to neglect
seeking with all our heart for union once again with our Divine
Source, is merely to prolong our sufferings.
Man, then, has to change. His desires and aspirations, instead of
being directed towards hate and evil must be transformed to love and
good. Instead of wallowing in lust and selfishness he must lift
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