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CHAPTER XV.— The Probationary Path · Invisible Helpers

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  Chapter fifteen of Invisible Helpers. This is a Liberaryvox recording. All libertyvox recordings
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  are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
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  liberyvox dot org. Read by KVHC. Invisible Helpers by C. W.
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  Ledbetter, Chapter fifteen. The probationary Path Eastern books tell us that there arefore
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  means by which a man may be brought to the beginning of the path of
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  spiritual advancement. One by the companionship of those who have already entered upon it.
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  Two by the hearing or reading of definite teaching on occult philosophy. Three
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  by enlightened reflection, that is to say that, by sheer force of hard
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  thinking and close reasoning, he may arrive at the truth or some portion of
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  it for himself. Four by the practice of virtue, which means that a
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  long series of virtuous lives, though it does not necessarily involve any increase of
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  intellectuality, does eventually develop in a man sufficient intuition to enable him to grasp
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  the necessity of entering upon the path and show him in what direction it lies.
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  When by one or another of these means he has arrived. At this
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  point, the way to the high sidev Ship lies straight before him, if
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  he chooses to take it. In writing for students of Ocoutism, it is
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  hardly necessary to say that at our present stage of development, we cannot expect
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  to learn all or nearly all, about any but the lowest steps of this
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  path, whilst of the highest we know little bit the names that we may
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  get occasional glimpses of the indescribable glory which surrounds them. According to esoteric teachings,
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  these steps are grounded in three great divisions. One the probationary period,
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  before any definite pledges are taken or initiations in the full sense of the word
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  are given. This carries a man to the level necessary to pass successfully through
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  wideren theosophical books is usually called the critical period of the fifth round two,
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  the period of pledged discipleship, or the path proper, whose four stages are
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  often spoken of in Oriental books as the four parts of holiness. At the
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  end of this the pupil obtains a debeship, the level which humanity should reach
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  at the close of the seventh round three, what we may venture to call
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  the official period, in which the adept takes a definite part under the great
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  cosmic law in the government of the world, and holds a special office connected
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  their ways. Of course, every adept, every pupil, even when once
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  definitely accepted, as we've seen in the earlier chapters, takes a part in
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  the great work of helping forward the evolution of man, with those standing on
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  the higher levels take charge of special departments and correspond in the cosmic scheme to
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  the ministers of the Crown. In a well ordered and earthly state. It
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  is not proposed to make any attempt in this book to treat of this official
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  period. No information about it has ever been made public, and the whole
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  subject is too above our comprehension to be profitably dealt with in print. We
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  will confine ourselves therefore to the two earlier divisions, before going into details of
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  the probationary period. It is well to mention that in most of the Eastern
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  sacred books the stage is regarded as merely preliminary, and scarcely as a part
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  of the path at all, for they consider that the latter is really entered
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  upon only when definite pledgures have been given. Considerable confusion has been created by
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  the fact that the numbering of the stages occasionally commences at this point, though
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  more often at the beginning of the second Great division. Sometimes the stages themselves
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  accounted, and sometimes the initiations leading into or out of them, so that
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  in studying the books one has to be perpetually on guard to avoid misunderstanding.
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  This probationary period, however, differs considerably in character from the others. The
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  divisions between its stages are less decidedly marked than are those of the higher groups,
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  and the requirements are not so definite or exacting. But it will be
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  easier to explain this last point after giving a list of the five stages of
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  this period with their respective qualifications. The first four will very ably described by
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  mister Mohini Mohan Chaateji in the first transaction of the London Launch, to which
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  readers may be referred for fuller definitions of them than can be given here.
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  Much exceedingly valuable information about them is also given by Missus Bessant in her books
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  The Path of Discipleship and in the Outer Court. The names given to the
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  stages will differ somewhat, for in those books the Hindu Sanskrit terminology was employed,
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  whereas the Pihly nomenclature hues tire is that of the Buddhist system. But
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  although the subject is thus approached from a different side, as it were,
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  the qualifications exacted will be found to be precisely the same in effect, even
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  when the output form there. In the case of each word, the mere
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  dictionary meaning will first be given in parenthesis, and the explanation of it,
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  which is usually given by the teacher, will follow. The first stage,
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  then, is called among the Buddhist one monodura versiona the opening of the doors
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  of the mind, or perhaps escaping by the door of the mind, and
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  in it the candidate acquires a firm intellectual conviction of the impermanence and worthlessness of
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  mere earthly aims. This is often described as learning the difference between the real
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  and the unreal, and to learn it often takes a long time and many
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  hard lessons. Yet it is obvious that it must be the first step towards
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  anything like real progress. For no man can enter wholeheartedly upon the path until
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  he has definitely decided to set his affection upon things above, not on things
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  on the earth. And that decision comes from the certainty that nothing on earth
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  has any value as compared with the higher life. This step is called by
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  the Hindus the acquirement of viveka or discrimination, and mister Synnett speaks of it
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  as the giving allegiance to the higher self. Two pari Kamma preparation for action,
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  the stage in which the candidate learns to do the right merely because it
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  is right, without considering his own gain or loss, either in this world
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  or the future, and acquires, as the Eastern books put it, perfect
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  indifference to the enjoyment of the fruit of his own actions. This indifference is
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  the natural result of the previous step, for when the neophyt has once grasped
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  the unreal and impermanent character of all earthly rewards, he ceases to pray for
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  them. When once the radiance of the real has shone upon the soul,
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  nothing below that can any longer be an object of desire. This higher indifference
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  is called by the Hindus vayagia three ubashadow attention or conduct, the stage in
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  which what are called to six qualification the shutter sam party of the Hindus must
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  be acquired. These are called in palis a sammons quietude, that purity and
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  calmness of thought which comes from the perfect control of the mind, a qualification
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  exceedingly difficult of attainment, and yet most necessary, for unless the mind moves
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  only in obedience to the guidance of the will, it cannot be a perfect
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  instrument for the master's work in the future. This qualification is a comprehensive one,
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  and includes within itself both the self control and the calmness which were described
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  in Chapter fourteen as necessary for astral work. B Damn subjugation, a similar
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  mastery over and therefore purity in one's actions and words, a quality which again
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  follows necessarily from its predecessor c Uparati. Cessation explained a secession from bigotry,
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  or from belief in the necessity of any act or ceremony prescribed by a particular
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  religion, so leading the aspirant to independence of thought and to a wide and
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  generous tolerance. D Titka endurance or forbearance, by which is meant the readiness
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  to bear with cheerfulness whatever one's calmer may bring upon one, and to part
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  with anything in everything worldly, whenever it may be necessary. It also includes
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  the idea of complete absence of resentment for wrong, the man knowing that those
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  who do him wrong are but the instruments of his own karma e samadana intentness
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  one pointedness involving the incapability of being turned aside from one's path by temptation.
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  This very closely with the single mindedness spoken of in the previous chapter. F
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  Sadha. Faith, confident in one's master and one's self confidence, that is,
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  that the master is a competent teacher, and that, however diffident the
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  pupil may feel as to his own powers, he has yet within him that
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  divine spark, which, when found into a flame, will one day enable
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  him to achieve even as his master has done. Four anuloma direct order or
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  succession, signifying that its attainment follows as a natural consequence from the other three.
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  The stage in which is acquired that intense desire for liberation from earthly life
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  and for union with the Highest, which is called by the hundus mumushatvar fiv
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  gotrabu, the condition of fitness for initiation. In this stage, the candidate
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  gathers up, as it were, his previous acquisitions and strengthens them to the
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  degree necessary for the next grade step, which will set his feet upon the
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  path proper as an accepted pupil. The attainment of this level is followed very
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  rapidly by initiation into the next grade. In answer to the question, who
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  is Gotrabu, Buddha says, the man who is in possession of those conditions
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  upon which the commencement of santification immediately ensues, he is the gautrbul. The
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  wisdom necessary for the reception of the path of holiness is called gottrabul Ganna.
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  Now that we have hastily glanced at the steps of the provisionary period, we
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  must emphasize the point to which reference was made at their commencement, that the
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  perfect attainment of these accomplishments and qualifications is not expected at this early stage.
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  As mister Mihini says, if all these are equally strung, a depthship is
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  attained in the same incarnation. But such a result is of course extremely rare.
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  It is in the direction of these acquirements that the candidate must easily strive.
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  But it would be in error to suppose that no one has been admitted
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  to the next step without possessing all of them in the fullest possible degree,
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  nor do they necessarily follow one another in the same definite order as the latest
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  steps. In fact, in many cases a man would be developing the various
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  qualifications or at the same time, rather side by side than in regular succession.
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  It is obvious that a man might easily be working along a great part
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  of this path, even though he was quite unaware of its very existence,
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  and no doubt many a good Christian, many earner's freethinker is already far on
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  the road that will eventually lead him to initiation, though he may never have
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  heard the world olcoticism in his life. I mention these two classes especially because
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  in every other religion, occol development is recognized as a possibility, and would
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  certainly therefore be intentionally sought by those who felt yearnings for something more satisfactory than
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  the exoteric faith. We must also note that the steps of this probationary period
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  are not separated by initiations in the full sense of the word. But they
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  will certainly be studded with tests and trials of all sorts and on all planes,
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  and may be relieved by encouraging experiences and by hints and help. Whenever
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  these may safely be given, we are apt sometimes to use the word initiation
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  somewhat loosely, as for example, when it is applied to such tests as
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  have just been mentioned. Properly speaking, it refers only to the solemn ceremony
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  at which a pupil is formally admitted to a higher grade by an appointed official,
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  who, in the name of the One Initiator, receives his plighted vow
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  and puts into his hands the new key of knowledge, which he is to
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  use on the level to which he has now attained. Such an initiation is
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  taken at the entrance to the division which we shall next consider, and also
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  at each passage from any one of its steps to the next. End of
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  Chapter fifteen read by KBHC.