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The Externalization of the Hierarchy - Section III - Forces behind the Evolutionary Process
The first great Approach of the divine to man caused the appearance of the human soul and the adding of another kingdom in nature to the three (mineral, vegetable and animal) already existing. The kingdom of man appeared on Earth. Aeons passed away whilst primitive man continued to evolve, and then the second great Approach took place and the Spiritual Hierarchy of our planet drew nearer to humanity; the spiritual Way to God was opened for those who consciously can move forward, who can definitely demonstrate the Christ spirit, and who earnestly seek enlightenment and liberation. The true appeal of Christ's words: "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" urges them to move forward into the light, through the gate of initiation and on to that path which [410] "shineth ever more and more until the perfect day." At the time of the second great Approach, the fact of the existence of the Spiritual Hierarchy, of the open door to initiation and of the Way of Sacrifice first dawned on the human consciousness; from that moment men have found the Way and have moved out of the human kingdom into the spiritual; they have transformed their human consciousness into divine awareness. The kingdom of man and the kingdom of God were brought into relationship. Religion became a factor in the development of the human spirit and God drew nearer to His Own. God Transcendent first conditioned man's concept of Deity. Then God as the national controller took possession of man's mind, and the Jehovah concept (as depicted in the Jewish dispensation) appeared; next God was seen as the perfected human being, and the divine God-man walked the Earth in the person of the Christ. Today, we have a rapidly growing emphasis on God Immanent in every human being. Such have been the results of the second great Approach and such have been the results of the work of the world Saviors and Teachers down the ages, culminating in the work of Christ, Who summed up in Himself the unfoldments of the past and the hope of the future. A third great Approach is now possible and will take place once the world war is over and man - purified by fire and suffering - has set his house in order and is ready, therefore, for a new revelation. For this coming revelation the work of the Buddha and of the Christ has been preparatory. They embodied in Themselves two lesser Approaches, and through Their united effort, humanity throughout the world has been prepared to play its part in this third Approach. The Buddha came embodying in Himself a great divine principle or quality. He was the Conveyor of Enlightenment to the world; He was the Lord of Light. As is always the case, He re-enacted in Himself, for the instruction of His disciples, the processes of illumination and became the "Illumined One." We are told in the scriptures of India that He achieved illumination under the tree, just as Christ achieved the liberation of the human spirit upon the tree [411] set up on Golgotha. Light, wisdom, reason, as divine yet human attributes, were focused in the Buddha. He proved the possibility of all men achieving this illumination and of walking in the light. He challenged the people to tread the Path of Illumination, of which wisdom, mental perception and intuition are the aspects. Then came the next great Teacher, the Christ. He embodied in Himself a still greater divine principle or aspect, that of Love, whilst at the same time embracing within Himself all that the Buddha had of Light. Christ was the expression of both Light and Love. Through Their work, therefore, there is now possible a deeper reaction to, and a broader comprehension of the work and influence of those great Lives Who are waiting today to help humanity. The work of these two Sons of God produced among many results the following: They embodied in Themselves certain cosmic principles, and by Their work and sacrifice certain divine potencies poured through and upon the race, stimulating intelligence into wisdom and emotion into love. The Buddha, when He achieved illumination, "let in" a flood of light upon life and world problems. He formulated this revelation into the Four Truths. His group of disciples erected a structure of truth which (by the power of collective thought) has flooded mankind with light. Through the message of the Buddha, man has for the first time grasped the cause of His constant distaste and dissatisfaction and has learnt that the Way of Release is to be found in detachment, dispassion and discrimination. Where these are present, there is rapid release from the wheel of rebirth. Through the message of the Christ, three concepts emerge into the racial consciousness: The value of the individual and the necessity for tensity of effort on his part. The opportunity which was to be presented to humanity [412] to take a tremendous step forward and undergo the new birth or the first initiation. The method whereby this next step could be taken in the new age, voiced for us in the words "love your neighbor as yourself." Individual effort, group opportunity and men's identification with each other - such is the message of the Christ.
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