Man's Ultimate Goal

Was discipleship of a great teacher attained only by the twelve Apostles or is it still possible to find one's Spiritual Teacher and be trained by Him? Theosophy answers the second of those two questions in the affirmative. Yen, great Adept Masters do exist, and discipleship under one of Them is a possibility for modern man.

How could discipleship be reached? First by discovery of certain knowledge about man and secondly by its application to the living of human life. What is this necessary knowledge? Well, it consists partly of answers to certain questions such as the purpose of human existence, why we are here, whence we have come, whither we are going and how we will get there. The literature of very ancient peoples, which has been preserved, indicates that these great questions have absorbed the attention of the human mind from the remotest ages. All of them are fully and satisfactorily answered by theosophy. Let me, then, briefly put this knowledge before you.

What is Man? Man is defined theosophically as that being in whom highest Spirit and lowest matter are united by intellect. Highest Spirit, of course, means the innermost self, the Divine spark in man. And lowest matter refers to his physical body and nature, while the uniting principle of intellect refers to his mind and mental powers. The essential unit of human existence, the Innermost human Spirit, becomes manifest first as an inner immortal self, or human spiritual soul, and second, during successive lives on earth, as an outer mortal personality in bodily form. And this is the man down here in the physical world.

What is the purpose of this dual manifestation of the inner self and the mortal man? Theosophy answers in a word, ­ "evolution". The Inner Self of man gains experience, knowledge and evolutionary progress through the activities and the reaction to life of the outer man. By that means, and pertly by an interior unfoldment, the Innermost Self - the God in man - perpetually unfolds and develops its germinal powers. This process is indeed perpetual, uninterrupted, the Inner Self being immune from death.

The outer, physical form of man is, on the other hand, only a temporary creation. It is born and develops to full bodily maturity, after which it begins to decline and eventually dies, disintegrates, to reappear no more. But the faculties and capacities developed by this outer self are permanently preserved in the Spiritual Soul, there being but one consciousness and one life in both the outer and the inner man.

Thus we learn from Theosophy that the immediate objective of human existence is the development of faculty - I believe that to be the whole purpose of the evolutionary process ­ the development of more and more faculty to the highest degree. The long-term objective is all-round genius, the development to the highest possible degree of all the powers of the inner spiritual self. And when this is achieved, then man reaches what is called Adeptship. And this is the goal of human existence.

How is this goal reached? How is Salvation attained? Theosophy answers: by two means - interior unfoldment and external experience. Interior unfoldment is continuous; physical experience is intermittent. Therefore, repeated physical births are necessary. Reincarnation provides the time, the opportunity and the external experience which contribute to the continuous spiritual unfoldment.

The next and very important step in thought is this: the cosmic law by which dynamic equilibrium is perpetually preserved operates upon man as a harmonising, compensatory agency. He experiences it as cause and effect. Every thought, feeling, word and deed produces its own exactly appropriate reaction, thereby ensuring absolute justice to every human being. Merciful, kindly and controlled actions and the right use of the physical body conduce to health and happiness, while their opposites inevitably bring sorrow and pain. All human experiences, all conditions, successes and failures are decided by the preceding actions of those who pass through them. This law of compensation, knowledge of which is so important, is impersonal in its action, in evadable, unchanging, and it is wholly to be trusted. You can build upon it and it will never fail you. The places and conditions in which individuals and races are born, for example, as well as those later entered, are exactly the "right" places and the right conditions for those times and people. Only in them can justice be done and the experience required for the attainment of Adeptship be obtained.

Now the next important step in thought. Theosophy carries this great story of man still further, saying that some men and some women have already attained to the stature of the perfected man and that certain of these Adepts remain physically upon our Earth as Members of a highly organised Fraternity of Superhuman Beings. They are Agents of the purposes and laws of life - Great Servers of God and Directors of planetary evolution.

Is it then really possible to discover these Great Beings and become Their disciple? Yes. For in Their compassion for humanity some of these Great Sages accept individual men and women for training in the mode of life and thought which increases the rate of evolutionary progress. And this is called the Path of Swift Unfoldment or, in Christianity, the Straight and Narrow Way. These Adepts, Perfected Ones, Who teach and train pupils, are known as Masters of the Wisdom. And indeed They can be successfully approached by those who fulfil the necessary conditions and apply for admission to Their Presence in the appointed way. These conditions and the method of application are fully described in theosophical literature.

The would-be disciple must, however, change himself or herself from a self-indulgent, selfish individual into a self­disciplined and selfless servant of humanity. When he does that and acquires the necessary knowledge which I have been putting before you - then, there exist in him the conditions for discipleship. Then, his Master will sooner or later appear to him.

Is it possible to prove or test such a statement of theosophy? Yes, it is, but one has to apply the final test of truth, which is twofold. It consists of direct super physical observation by means of supersensory powers on the one hand, and the experimental application of the ideas to physical life on the other. Just as the student of geography first takes information from teachers, books, maps and photographs, both still and moving, but must visit the place studied for full knowledge, so also the student of Theosophy, after contacting, comprehending and applying its teachings to life, must add direct perception and experience of teachings in order to become a knower, and then, a disciple of a Great Master.

So, you see, the student of Theosophy passes through three successive stages: first, discovery, then examination, test by reason, application to life, and finally - guided by a Master - investigation by direct observation, using the inner, psychic, highly developed powers - extra sensory perception indeed.

Thus, you see, theosophy teaches that a man can either delay or hasten the process of his development, both of his sensory powers and his supersensory powers. He also can hasten his progress of attainment of perfection. And it is in this last that the help of a Master is so important. He, Himself, has completed the long evolutionary road and He is, therefore, well qualified to take a human being, guide him, guard and train him as a disciple and lead him up to those great heights upon which He. Himself, now stands. This is an actual possibility.

If we can resist the pull of the past and the call of the world and old habits and indulgences, then we can grow in wisdom, in determination and understanding. A soul can be alight, a heart aflame, and we can become guiding stare of our fellowmen, as our Master becomes the Guiding Star for us. Indeed, this is a practical possibility for any selfless and determined human being. For an old theosophical adage says: When the pupil is ready, the Master appears.