Beloved Master, seeking the master in order to develop one's own reason for being is then a safe passport into his Presence?

Blessed chela, it is the only passport into his Presence. Worship of form no matter how sincere does not develop the individual spirit-spark. It tends on the contrary to detract from concentration upon the One from whom we ourselves receive life, intelligence & the power to do every good & perfect thing.

Beloved Master, what is the doctrine of the Middle Way in regard to this subject we are discussing?

Blessed chela, the doctrine of the Middle Way which is of course the teaching of our Lord Buddha lies within the following principles. First, the individual is a focus of God's intelligence directed into the universe to fulfill some portion of the divine plan. From within himself he must learn to draw forth the self-mastery, discrimination, balance, wisdom, love & power in order to fulfill that plan. If he becomes enamored of any form or being which distracts him from this individual endeavor to sublimate his human nature & expand his divine nature he must stop & reorient himself with attention upon the One Source. Then he may proceed in the company of those who by like concentration upon the One have achieved.

Second, he must realize that all qualities of thought & feeling are contagious. It is wise to cultivate the Presence & fellowship of those who have become that which he desires to be. The smouldering sparks of faith & aspiration kindle into flame when the individual consciousness becomes part of the consciousness of any God-free being. Because of the negative nature of the thoughts & feelings of the mass of mankind unless the student has a positive current into which he may tie his aspiring soul he is likely to be engulfed in the hopelessness which is the effluvia of the race.

Third, a daily period of introspection before sleep is wise. Has your service for the master & your spiritual communion with the master made you more like Him in nature that day? Have you come closer to a realization of your own divinity? Have the works done in his name been done in his nature? Have the mankind among whom you have moved seen & felt his Presence because of your activity in their midst that day? Has your personal attitude endeared mankind to Us because you are Our only representatives in the world of form? Have your thoughts, feelings & spoken words expressed as nearly as you know how what We would think, feel & say in the same circumstances? If you are sincere you need no mentor but Yourself. Spasmodic irregular periods of contemplation, communion & introspection are not efficacious. A steady, rhythmic personal examination in which there is no taint of self-condemnation nor self-pity will result in an assimilation of the master who is your pattern. The mortifications, the censures of self are merely weapons of conscience to alleviate known wrong. A new life builded on the nature of God is proof of sincerity of spiritual purpose.

Beloved Master, we have been told that whatsoever things we shall ask the Father in Jesus' name shall be given unto us. Please explain this statement.

Blessed chela, it is true that the name of an individual is a cup which contains the consciousness, power & gifts of that one. When an individual has attained mastery his name becomes a tremendous power of invocation to strengthen applications of all who use that name. Anyone who thinks, feels or speaks the name of any ascended being immediately ties his own energies into the battery of power which that master has become. The aspirant literally touches the hem of the garment of the spiritual being & truly the virtue of that being flows back into the consciousness & world of said aspirant. Even as the calling of one's name in this world draws the attention of the person called so does the using of the name of the master draw His attention & His assistance.

Beloved Master, is it then sufficient to use the name of the master to secure His full powerful momentum thru the chela's application?

Blessed chela, no! This is but a portion of the cosmic law. When the chela first places himself in spiritual rapport with the master & endeavors to the best of his ability to make the application not only in the name but the actual nature of the master the results in manifestation are increased a thousandfold.

Beloved Master, how can an individual who knows little of the nature of the master possibly attempt to create that nature in himself?

Blessed chela, the master is instantly cognizant of the chela who turns his thoughts, feelings, prayers & invocations toward Him. By thinking of the master, by using the name of the master, by asking sincerely for the feeling of the master to flow into his own world the chela begins the exercise of spiritual communion. This is followed by an exhaltation of the chela's consciousness & he begins to experience how the master Himself would handle any situation, render any service, dissipate any appearance of distress. Then the chela is truly caught up in the master's nature & from this premise the chela can perform works & manifest expressions of God which in himself he could not possibly express.

Beloved Master, can you give us a simple exercise by which such spiritual rapport with the master can be attained?

Blessed chela, certainly! First, the chela realizes that there are appearances manifest in the world around him less than the perfection of God. Many superficially notice such appearances but the desire to remedy such distress is not yet born with them. The chela must come beyond the point of observing imperfection to the point of sincerely, lvoingly & earnestly helping God to help his fellowman. This is the first step on the path. "Hitherto the Father worketh, now the Father & I work" becomes his attitude of being.

Second, the chela must examine his motive for desiring to alleviate the ills of mind, body, soul & world of his fellowman. If it is to secure a sense of power, self-aggrandizement or personal importance he is not approaching the Father in the nature of the Christ even though he may use His name. If the chela desires to render whatever service he can according to his present development, capacities, talents & powers only to serve God by redeeming His children, that chela has already begun to approach the nature of the master.

Third, the chela must find within himself a conviction that the life flowing thru him is the Life of God the Father. He must realize that within that Life is the power by which the master has performed the seeming miracles. The chela's acceptance in feelings of the power of God within himself which is ready, willing & able to flow forth to render service is another step in entering the nature of the master.

Fourth, the chela knowing full well that other intelligences who have already attained perfection are ready & willing to give of Their radiation, impetus of faith, confidence & instruction to help the chela can then ask for the infusion of the master's thoughts, feelings & powers thru his own consciousness. He can & should lay his own thoughts, his feelings, his spoken words & actions next to the master's & in contemplation endeavor to become one with the nature of the master in thought, feeling, spoken word & action. Then when the chela sends forth a decree in the name & nature of the master, the chela has the full power of the master's momentum to use as well as his own.

Beloved Master, is it wrong to desire things? We have heard much of the state of desirelessness.

Blessed chela, the true doctrine is not to become attached to things. Desire--the very word "de" "sire"--signifies that the constructive ideas, hopes, visions & plans which enter the mind & feelings of the chela are promptings of the Father to the chela to externalize more of the good things of His kingdom on Earth.

The desire must be free of selfishness & free of any motivating power to aggrandize self. It is easy to measure whether the desire is truly born of the Father or of the lower self. If the desire when molded by thought, energized by feeling & externalized by practical endeavor thru the cooperation of the physical body will benefit any one or all members of mankind it is of the Father. If the desire will merely gratify the personal ego it is born of the lower self.

Beloved Master, do you mean that the drawing forth of beauty in home, environment & person is therefore a gratification of the personal self?

Blessed chela, careful examination of the motive for which you desire to beautify, harmonize & amplify the personal world will reveal the answer to your question. If you desire such perfection to glorify God thru an example to your fellowman, if you desire greater opulence to inspire others to apply the law by which you have precipitated beauty in this world of form, if you make a personal compact with yourself to use that which you draw forth for the blessings of all life, you are acting within the compass of the spiritual law. Be reminded that for every thousand who plan what they would do if they were in a position to further the masters' work one actually consecrates the results of his endeavors at precipitation to that cause. It is easy indeed to dedicate that which is still ephemeral. More difficult indeed it is to share that which is in the hand.

Beloved Master, what is the attitude to approach in endeavoring to learn the scientific law of precipitation?

Blessed chela, the power of precipitation is given to man specifically to lower the divine plan into the physical appearance world & thus create the kingdom of Heaven on Earth. The attitude of consciousness should be to accept the promptings gratefully, to bless the Father for entrusting you with the opportunity of drawing forth from those ideas a perfect manifestation, to fashion daily with the scissors of the mind the form of the pattern desired, to feed your thought pattern with feelings of live, beauty, harmony & blessing, to remind yourself daily that the precipitation upon which you are working is for the glorification of God & the blessings of your fellowman, to practically use the talents, substance, energy & physical attributes afforded you to draw the manifestation into form, & finally when you have received it to use it for the blessing of your fellowman as well as for yourself.

Beloved Master, such endeavors at precipitation are not then selfish?

Blessed chela, no! Every lovely temple, building or artistic expression that inspires & serves the race has been drawn from the desire born in the heart of some man or woman. The sense of personal possession which makes the individual unhappy if the precipitation is not under his personal management & control is what the Buddha warned against. The flower does not wish to possess its fragrance, the bird to hoard its song. Such an attitude of creating & letting go is the consciousness to be acquired. Then not things but the capacity to call forth things at will as required is the gift of the indivudal, more precious than gold.