Hafiz Zulqarnain Shuja

Hafiz Zulqarnain Shuja

Hafiz Zulqarnain Shuja

“The sense of sacrifice is faintly seen in every soul that loves the Plan. Teach them that sacrifice must touch the depths of giving, and not call forth that which upon the surface lies or that which can be known. The unseen sacrifice must go with that which can be seen. Teach this.” (Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. I, p. 167).

“Group work involves sacrifice, and oft the doing of that which might not be preferred, and which might not - from the personality angle - be the easier way out and the easier activity.” (Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. I, p. 290).

“The idea of self-sacrifice. This idea has lately shifted from the individual and his sacrifice, to the group presentation. The good of the whole is now held theoretically to be of such paramount importance that the group must gladly sacrifice the individual or group of individuals. Such idealists are apt to forget that the only true sacrifice is that which is self-initiated, and that when it is an enforced sacrifice (imposed by the more powerful and superior person or group) it is apt to be, in the last analysis, the coercion of the individual and his enforced submission to a stronger will.” (Education in the New Age, p. 20/1).

“Death, as the human consciousness understands it, pain and sorrow, loss and disaster, joy and distress, are only such because man, as yet, identifies himself with the life of the form and not with the life and consciousness of the soul. . . . The moment a man identifies himself with his soul and not with his form, then he understands the meaning of the Law of Sacrifice; he is spontaneously governed by it, and he is one who will with deliberate intent choose to die. But there is no pain, no sorrow, and no real death involved.” (Esoteric Psychology, Vol. II, p. 94).

“This urge to sacrifice, to relinquish this for that, to choose one way or line of conduct and thus sacrifice another way, to lose in order eventually to gain—such is the underlying story of evolution. This needs psychological understanding. It is the governing principle of life itself, and runs like a golden pattern of beauty through the dark materials of which human history is constructed. When this urge to sacrifice in order to win, gain or salvage that which is deemed desirable is understood, then the whole clue to man’s unfoldment will stand revealed. This tendency or urge is something different to desire, as desire is academically understood and studied today. What it really connotes is the emergence of that which is most divine in man. It is an aspect of desire, but it is the dynamic, active side and not the feeling, sensuous side. it is the predominant characteristic of Deity.” (Esoteric Psychology, Vol. II, p. 97).

“Under the Law of Sacrifice these three rules might be interpreted thus:

i. Relinquish or sacrifice the age-old tendency to criticise and adjust another’s work, and thus preserve the inner group intergrity. More plans for service have gone astray and more workers have been hindered by criticism than by any other major factor.

ii. Relinquish or sacrifice the sense of responsibility for the actions of others, and particularly of disciples. See that your own activity measures up to theirs, and in the joy of struggle and on the way of service, the differences will disappear and the general good will be achieved.

iii. Relinquish the pride of mind which sees its way and its interpretations to be correct and true, and others’ false and wrong. This is the way of separation. Adhere to the way of integration which is of the soul and not of the mind.

. . . It is essential that the disciples shall learn to sacrifice the non-essential in order that the work may go forward. Little as one may realise it, the many techniques and methods and ways, are secondary to the major world need. There are many ways and many points of view, and many experiments and many efforts—abortive and successful, and all of them come and go. But humanity remains. All of them are in evidence of the multiplicity of minds, and of experiences, but the goal remains. Difference is ever of the personality. When this Law of Sacrifice governs the mind, it will inevitably lead all disciples to relinquish the personal in favour of the universal and of the soul, that knows no separation, no difference. Then no pride, nor a short and myopic perspective, nor love of interference (so dear to many people), nor misunderstanding of motive will hinder their co-operation with each other as disciples, nor their service to the world.” (Esoteric Psychology, Vol. II, p.108/9).

zain_shuja2000@yahoo.com

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“Those of you who are seeking to serve humanity and to join in the hierarchical effort to bring healing to a world of pain, must learn to penetrate behind appearances, behind the methods and schemes, the results and effects on the physical plane, and endeavour to contact the forces of Shamballa or of the Hierarchy, plus the human need which has produced these modes of expression, and thus see them for what they are—not worn out systems and childish efforts at improvement, but embryonic plans whereby, eventually, may come release and the culture and civilisation of the New Age. If you are seeking to bring illumination into the dark places of the earth (which means into the minds of men), then you must yourselves see clearly and relate the abstract and the concrete in such a manner that, in your own lives, a working idealism may be seen; only so can a working of idealism of a national, racial and human nature also be seen. The head as well as the heart must be used, and this many earnest people are apt to forget . . .
It is in the recognition of what is happening to mankind as a whole and behind the scenes, that the thinkers of the world and the New Group of World Servers can best serve; it is the unfoldment of the human consciousness in response to the presented conditions in any country or countries that is of moment; the “human state of mind” is just beginning to focus itself on the things that matter and to express itself in a living fashion. The thinkers and servers must learn to concentrate upon the
awakening consciousness, and not upon the superficial movements. This awakening goes on apace and, my brothers, satisfactorily. The form or forms may suffer, but the intrinsic awareness of man is becoming, during this century, expressively divine.” (The Externalization of the Hierarchy, p. 73/4).
“If it is hard to arouse aspirants, such as yourselves, to urgent service and a full sense of responsibility; if men and women with all the information that you possess cannot be aroused to sacrificing effort, you can gain some idea of the magnitude of the task with which the Hierarchy is
confronted at this time. You can realise, perhaps, the sense almost of frustration which could sweep over me (if I were limited by any time concept) when, for instance, those to whom I would look for co-operation, are preoccupied with their own affairs, have no sense of immediacy, and prefer to concentrate upon their own development, their own families, their own problems, rather than achieve the larger world view which would then lead to full co-operation. The averting of a world debacle is the aim of our effort, and towards this aim I have asked your help.” (Jan. 1939), (The Externalization of the Hierarchy, p. 79).
“There is some confusion arising out of the basic idealism which underlies the activities of many peoples in many countries. It is the importance of the somewhat new ideal of the good of the state as a whole versus the good of the individual and the good of humanity. The state becomes almost a divine entity in the consciousness of the idealist. This necessarily part of the evolutionary plan, but in so far as it constitutes a problem, is too big for the individual to solve alone and unaided. Of one fundamental truth I can, however, assure you. When men everywhere - within the boundaries of their particular state, and whilst upholding its authority and its civilisation - begin to think in terms of mankind, then public opinion will become so potent and so right in its inclusiveness, that state policies must inevitably conform to the larger ideal, and the sacrifice of the individual and of humanity in large numbers to the individual state, will no longer be possible. The part will be seen in its proper relation to the larger whole. It is this arousing of public opinion to world rights, to inclusive human interests and to international co-operation, that is the true goal of all present spiritual endeavour.” (The Externalization of the Hierarchy, p. 219).

“What can the individual do to aid the cause of humanity and arrest the tide of evil? If he is fighting already upon the side of the Forces of Light. . . . he knows his destiny and service. But what of those who question what they can do, and yet are eager to see clearly and to play their part when right vision is theirs? To them I would say the following things;

i. Eliminate prejudice, national pride, and religious antipathies out of your consciousness. . . . The unhappy past of all nations is today used as an alibi by those who do not choose to shoulder responsibility, or to sacrifice anything for the cause of humanity. A recognition of our shortcomings and a spirit of tolerance and forgiveness are needed by all today.

ii. Refuse to be afraid of any results of right and positive action. Fear lies behind much of the dissenting attitudes today, and fear kills truth, hides the vision and arrests right action. The Great Leader of this Christian era has warned us not to be afraid of those who kill the body, but to fear only those who seek to kill the soul. . . .

iii. Having sensed the vision, recognised the hindrances, and dealt with innate prejudice and fear, it will then become apparent to you what . . . you must do. It is not for me to tell you what it is. The details are for you to decide; the methods which you must employ will become clear to you; you will then range yourself on the side of the Forces of Light, and will uphold the hands of those who are fighting for world peace and security, preparatory to the inauguration of the new world order. This you will do with no thought of self. You will face life truly and sincerely, with a fully dedicated sacrifice of time, self, money and, if need be, of life. You will realise dynamically that the attitude of the passive onlooker is not that of the agent of the Forces of Light or of a lover of humanity.

iv. You will also learn to keep your mind free from hate, refusing to hate the deluded sinner, even when imposing upon him the penalty of his sin. Hate and separation must cease, and they will cease as the individual aspirant stamps them out in his own life. The great error of the neutrally minded and of the pacifist, is his refusal to identify himself constructively with human pain. Even when he reacts with violent emotion over the suffering, for instance, of little children . . . and of the defenceless refugee, he does not truly care enough to do anything about the situation, involving as it does sacrifice. This sounds harsh, but is a needed statement of fact. Sympathy which does not produce positive action of some kind, becomes a festering sore.

Thus by thought and word and deed, the lover of humanity will enter the battle against evil; with complete self-forgetfulness he will take up the cause of humanity, hiding not behind the sense of futility and seeking no alibi in a misinterpreted idealism. He will face the facts of the present situation in the light which streams from the vision itself. He will then press forward into the age of right human relations, of spiritual unity and shared resources with complete confidence, because his sense of values is adjusted. He knows that humanity has a divine mission which must be carried out on the wings of love, through understanding action, selfless service, and the willingness to die in battle if that is the only way in which his brother can be served and freed.” (The Externalization of the Hierarchy, p. 244/6)

“Any student who thinks clearly and applies the teaching to his daily life, is contributing most valuably to the group awareness.
Oft an aspirant says to himself: “Of what real use am I? How can I, in my small sphere, be of service to the world?” Let me reply to these questions by pointing out that by thinking this book into the minds of the public, by expressing before your fellow men the teaching it imparts, and by a life lived in conformity with its teaching, your service is very real.
This will necessarily involve a pledging of the entire personality to the helping of humanity, and the promise to the Higher Self that endeavour will be made to lose sight of self in service—a service to be rendered in the place and under the circumstances which a man’s destiny and duty have imposed upon him. I mean a renewal of the effort to bring about the purification of all the bodies, so that the entire lower man may be a pure channel and instrument through which spiritual force may flow unimpeded. I mean the attaining of an attitude wherein the aspirant desires nothing for the separated self, and in which he regards all that he has as something which he can lay upon the altar of sacrifice for the aiding of his brethren. Could who read this book see the results of such a united effort, there would emerge a group activity, intelligently undertaken, which would achieve great things. So many people run hither and thither after this individual or that, or this piece of work or that, and, working lack of intelligent co-ordination, achieve nothing and no group results. But united group effort would eventuate in an inspired reorganisation of the entire world, and the elimination of hindrances; there would be the making of real sacrifices and the giving up of personal wishes and desires in order that group purposes may be served.” (Esoteric Psychology l, p. xix/xx).