El Morya
Chief of the Darjeeling Council
The Great White Brotherhood
Introduction
The observations and recommendations of this encyclical
have been compiled from a long-range study made by me, together
with the invaluable assistance of the Darjeeling Council
of the Great White Brotherhood. It has long been my desire
to present to the people of the earth, in concise documentation,
the results of our deliberations on those specific problem
areas which, through investigations made from our vantage
point, we have found to be in need of immediate attention,
if the present world order is to remain intact and forward
progress is to be made.
It is our solemn conclusion that there must be increased
and widespread dissemination of a precise knowledge and
understanding of life and its vital purposes if those leaders
in the fields of science, government, religion, education,
and social welfare who guide the footsteps of their communities
are to properly and effectively serve the crying needs of
the hour. We trust therefore that through worldwide application
of the nine-point program included herein, together with
the incorporation of the recommendations of this encyclical
into the motivations and affairs of men, the efforts of
"world citizens" will be more constructively channeled
into those top-priority areas which we have outlined.
Believing that a clearer understanding of the fulfillment
of life's vital purposes can be gained from the encyclical,
we trust that all who pause to partake of its contents will
be charged with renewed hope for solution of the world's
lingering problems and the will to work shoulder to shoulder
until the whole leaven in the bread of life is activated
to raise the communal loaf of worldwide good will.
Nature Of Problems Under Consideration
Present Resources Sufficient for Present Demands
The presently available resources of the international economy--comprising
organized manpower and matériel with the facilities
to transport and mobilize their effectiveness, knowledge
and skills and the means to communicate their concepts--are
sufficient to mend all the world's ills. To this task we
have pledged our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.
The regrettable trend of purposeless dissipation of mankind's
energies and assets into crosscurrents of means and ends
in politics, religion, and economics continues to deny to
the world community the unity of freedom, the peace of understanding,
and the enlightenment of abundance in which all should share.
Tensions and dissatisfactions--individual and international,
both well and little known--persist; therefore, the demand
for renewed study, foresight, and decisive action imbued
with universal good will should be our first consideration
in the universal good cause for the ennoblement of man.
Honest appraisal of abundant opportunity at hand will reaffirm
that the world already has at its disposal the elements
necessary and sufficient for the resolving of its difficulties.
Therefore, fuller utilization of the matrix of the present
is the only sound approach to international order and better
living; and this disposition must dispel any tendency to
put off till the morrow that which needs attention today
if that morrow is to become a desirable reality.
Political and Economic Complications
Direct political-military confrontation of the world's two
major power-ideological blocs is unabated in Cuba, Berlin,
India, Laos, and Formosa. Increasing ideological conflict
for men's affections and actions is evidenced in Asia, the
African states, and most especially in Latin America. Common
external threats and internal demands have united certain
groups to set aside, to a degree, the momentums of provincialism,
national honor, and national security, as evidenced in the
hesitant economic integration of western Europe and other
areas.
While the larger powers increasingly recognize the limits
of unilateral action, many newly emergent African and Far
Eastern states earnestly seek the glittering laurels of
nationhood. The preoccupation with political rivalry by
many leaders within and among these states takes the place
of the larger humanitarian concerns of caring for their
hungry, poverty-stricken, sick, and ignorant peoples and
only further postpones long overdue redresses of social,
political, and economic imbalance. Lack of adequate standards
of impartial public service in many ex-colonial lands, new
and old, has resulted in the chaotic conditions so tragically
illustrated in the Congo. Fuller integration of all citizens
into the body politic of their nations continues despite
the opposition of certain elements to true equality before
the law.
Demographic problems further complicate this picture, for
population increases occur in the very areas least able
to support their peoples adequately. Certainly the doctrines
of Malthus must not incite fear in man, for Divine Providence
is ready and able to release through the instruments of
the world's governing bodies the necessary wisdom to cope
with every problem. It remains for the training and organization
of receptive leaders to be multiplied who will cast aside
personal consideration in the interest of the commonweal.
Major Cause of Prolongation of Problems
Strange yet obvious though it may seem, the major underlying
cause for the continuation of unrest which must be universally
corrected upon earth is the attitude, held far too long,
of regarding life as a mere spectator sport. Examination
of the historical modes will reveal that difficulties have
caused people to become embroiled in struggles which have
resulted in needed corrections and reforms. Likewise, the
soft living of modern civilization has tended to create
indifference and aloofness on the part of the very people
who are not only capable to changing the world, but who
are also the ones whose natures admirably fit them to the
vanguard of constructive and progressive change.
Freedoms and Their Preservation
Significant changes in men's way of life and thinking have
been injected into the social structure of the West through
the Magna Charta, the transition from feudalism to capitalism,
the industrial revolution, treatises on self-government,
and tracts in defense of men's individual spiritual awakening
during the Renaissance and Reformation. These trends, which
reached their peak of expression in English common law,
the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence,
the Bill of Rights, the Constitution of the United States,
and many other instruments of freedom, progressively recognized
the worth of the individual and his inalienable rights to
be governed not arbitrarily, but by conscience.
Responsible, informed, and thinking citizens of democratic
countries recognize that streamlined communication and transportation
have reshaped the interplay of social, political, and military
forces and the more remote areas of the globe, creating
thereby the parallel need for a modern approach to world
unity and good will in order to actively preserve hard-won
liberties.
Certain it is that power blocs do not contemplate yielding
to one another; neither does stalemate appeal to the aggressive
and communistic states who see in the expansion of their
own doctrines a reinforcement of the progressive rights
of man. Scientific considerations have solved some problems
while augmenting others; yet the rise of humanitarianism
is in the minority of the people, while apathy is multiplied
by the mass mind in the unenlightened self-interest policies
of the very social organs and individuals best equipped
to give assistance to the community. Throughout history
the accent on personal gain has denied to the world its
victory laurels of peace and achievement. Now it is vital
that present opportunities, as well as the net gains of
the past, are not robbed from mankind by these same sensual
misdirections.
Nature Of Solution To Problems Under Consideration
World Commonwealth Supersedes World Communism
It is unthinkable that a world commonwealth fail to be established
ultimately, for it is the only proper way to merge authority
under responsible law and administration. The unyielding
attitudes of the nations of the world who prefer to maintain
their sovereign interests and ideologies have set the stage
for war in the past. The only actual deterrent to war to
which nations pay heed today seems to be the threat of annihilation
by those nations who possess the capabilities of nuclear
strike. I am certain that democracy and freedom must be
enshrined in any acceptable world commonwealth which would
derive its power from the consent of the governed. Such
a foundation automatically excludes Communism and those
military dictatorships which deny in fact freedom of speech,
freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and public assembly
to the people.
To create and knit together a world commonwealth based on
acceptable principles before God and man requires the nourishment
and cooperation of the rank and file of humanity. Realistic
and working forms of the present world order must be retained
and built upon by those who are positively unwilling to
sit complacently by while their very inheritance is nibbled
away by self-willed rodents of deception who masquerade
as purveyors of good. Such reactionaries to true progress
ever seek the destruction of man's right to exalt and preserve
his hard-won democratic freedoms, together with such reforms
as are necessary.
Advocates of World Communism are unwilling to modify existing
forms of lawful government through the democratic and orderly
path of progressive evolution. They prefer to create in
anarchy and in some cases, even by apparent civilized and
orderly methods, a form of world mutiny. This, regardless
of the philosophy of Lenin or Marx, is based on a bourgeois
and pseudo-culture of sheer piracy without the benefit and
safeguards to humanity of centuries-old codified law. They
seek literally to enslave the world's laboring classes,
promising them freedom but giving them a new and terrible
despotism which, like a gnawing cancer of growing proportion,
remains visible in nation after nation upon earth. Thus
World Communism stands as the greatest threat ever posed
against man and society.
Universal Brotherhood
Fostered by New-Age Culture
and Exemplary Government
The total international constituency ought, then, to strive
collectively to release man from the sense of being a mere
spectator in world affairs and to encourage the natural
inclinations of the hearts of men toward becoming more and
more their brothers' keepers. A genuine heartfelt love for
one's fellowmen engenders constructive and active interest
in civic, domestic, and international problems and gives
to men the strength to summon those valiant responses which
will help them to brave historical inequities, sometimes
in the face of militant and entrenched evils.
Vain considerations which keep men bound in a round of activities
of questionable yield must be minimized and replaced by
the founding of a new-age culture. It should be the prime
goal of such a true culture to mold in the attitudes of
the people, from earliest days of childhood, the feeling
of being at home in a compassionate world wherein the universal
purpose is to ease the burdens of men and raise them to
the state of conscious manifestation of the virtues of their
own comprehensive faith and individual fulfillment. How
can people feel at home in a hostile world?
The present-day advent of orbital flight will have greater
meaning and universal purpose to mankind when a more reasonable
state of harmony among nations and peoples becomes a reality.
While brotherhood is usually advocated by most of the constructive
religions of the world, it is essential that a real and
living universal brotherhood based on a sincere love of
the heart permeate the total thinking, feelings, motives,
and acts of each individual. World leaders, who command
so clear a viewing and reviewing upon the world stage, ought
to display a more than usual quantity of exemplary qualities.
If such be not the case, let the common man--and those who
are considered uncommon--by the power of united action,
decree that more perfect men and women be the governing
authority for the earth.
World Progress through World Honesty
Mutual understanding which is not based on deception or
the seemingly necessary deceptive counterplays enacted in
international diplomacy must supplant selfishly rationalized
tactical measures. World honesty is the balm of Gilead to
world progress. Even in their state of semi-apathy, citizens
discern more of such questionable tactics than they care
to struggle with. All the more reason, then, that men of
good faith should replace all who are not striving to manifest
in the forum of right action superb qualities of highest
statesmanship. Virtue in government and in social intercourse
can only become the universally accepted standard of conduct
and contract as the result of the unwavering and uncompromising
demands of the people for truth, integrity, and justice.
Educational Program Based on the Golden Rule
In correcting ingrained social errors and initiating a new
and better way of life upon the moving screen of civilization,
I am urging that there be established a new program of carefully
planned education for the children of the world. This program
should accentuate the attitude of noblesse oblige, engender
dignity of self, and incorporate a soundly revealed faith
in universal purpose, such teleological concepts quite naturally
being dispensed through the manifold religions of the world
with the understandable addendum of sectarian slants. Let
the scholastic curricula of the public educational systems
of the world place greater emphasis upon the ethical training
and exercises in courtesy as the natural expression of kindness
and a thoughtful regard and respect for others. As a rule
of behavior in all types of relations between individuals
and political units, the golden rule remains the guide to
positive acts that infuse the moral structure of society
with the vitality which makes for a responsible citizenry.
Reverence for Life, the Soul of Applied Religion and Science
Juvenile delinquency and rising waves of crime should indicate
to mankind the need for a deeper consideration of those
so-called social outcasts and barren lives which spawn upon
the world scene the bleak result of wanton selfishness which
culminates in a state of personal recklessness. Universal
reverence for life, wherever manifest, must topple the walls
of racial prejudice, caste, bigotry, political abuse, ideological
polarities, and untempered religious zeal. Reverence for
life, for man as its supreme representative upon earth,
should be the soul of applied religion and science.
Inferior motives of conquest and control over that which
can never be bound--namely, the free will of man--must go
down before liberty of conscience and man's freedom to multiply
his God-given talents. When rightly understood as means
of uplifting the spiritual morale of the people, enlightening
their consciousness, and lightening men's burdens, the common
goals of religion and science will supplant their divergent
philosophies and methodologies; hence the union of these
two branches of the Tree of Life will be for the healing
of the nations.
Good And Evil In Man And Society
Nature of Evil
Evil, whether posing as a social or personal threat, is
neither universal nor real. However widespread, diabolical,
or insidious it may appear, it is temporary and exists just
so long as it is not corrected and replaced by virtue. Evil
is error, ignorant or malicious. Error is found in high
places and low, within church and state; yet it can be permanently
overcome only through the establishment and maintenance
of good in its place. Good, remaining undefined, may have
the appearance of evil or error, simply because of the latter's
seeming innocuousness. Likewise, a vacuum of harmlessness,
unproductive of good, easily becomes prey to manifest iniquity.
Nature of Good
Thus in order for good to retain the essence of goodness,
it must be alive in consecrated, positive action and, when
necessary, militantly defended. The character of right belief,
then, is right action. As the gap between pure motives and
noble deeds, ideals, and their pragmatic counterparts is
narrowed, the unity and continuity of good will unmask the
infamous impostor whose lies always bear the earmarks of
separatism and unproductivity. It follows that the practical
effects of united world faith in God ought to express as
a giant teamwork wherein the world's religious leaders pledge
their common faith to eradicate the causes and results of
centuries of vain competition and divisionary labors.
Admonition
Oh, that men might let go of the crutches of fear and doubt
which bind them as invalids to the invalid oppressions of
disunity couched in intellectual schisms and social inequities!
Oh, that men might accept the inherent power of the Christ
light of world good will t penetrate the density of human
reason and resolve their many refractive ideas into one
grand more powerful concept, even as the sun focused through
the lens of universal truth is resplendent with more intense
effectivity!
Interplay Of Forces In Man And Society
Yin and Yang
As the contrast of light and darkness provides men with
a daily balance of rest and motion, so in the arena of both
politics and religion the interplay of forces can best be
understood within the framework of the principle of yin
and yang. This concept, dealing with the positive and negative
polarities of life, also serves to set in relief the meaning
of experience, of action and inaction, of thesis and antithesis,
the ebb and flow of the tide of human affairs and the individual
currents which determine the movement of the larger mass.
From the man in the street to the more complex organizations
of business, government, and society, men feel the need
to position themselves in interest groups from left to right
on a scale of attitudes pro and con the passing events of
the times. In politics and religion men are arrayed--in
many cases fiercely immovable--in fixed positions classified
as "liberal" or "conservative." At the
other extreme, however, unbridled and imprudent use of freedom
of choice and uninformed assessment of acts result in an
unhealthy fluctuation along the entire range of the scale.
Stable Reality through Synthesis of Universal Truth
If the whole personality of man be tethered to a stable
reality, greater progress can be forthcoming through rightly
exercising the prerogative of choice. Men feel the need
to embrace an entire system of thought simply because some
of its elements or most of them agree with their inner convictions;
conversely, they frequently reject whole systems because
they do not agree with one or more of their tenets. Let
men accept truth for truth's sake alone and reject all else.
Likewise, men must learn to disassociate personality from
concepts when assessing the value of truth and abstain from
criticizing any system of religion or philosophy simply
because the professed followers may or may not live up to
proffered ideals.
When men's idols fall as the result of an attempt at the
personification of ideals and disillusionment follows limited
vision, it is well to remember that the human organization
is the proving ground rather than the standard for those
ultimate principles of truth which live independently of
men's partial understanding or unsuccessful practice of
them. Unity is the effective means of combating the common
problems which beset the race. Individuals are needed who
will dare to raise the banner of brotherhood as the symbol
of common responsibility to erase the blights of disease,
poverty, or any form of imperfection whatsoever, irrespective
of its raid on self or neighbor. Objectivity, then, is the
open door to peace and victory in "one-world truth"
made manifest as divine stability.
Just as much of the good stated in various doctrines in
found in many facets of expression according to the modes
of the times, so in the case of Marx and Lenin and the whole
fabric of Communism, much of the good framed therein is
not exclusive to that system. Rather is it included in the
universal ethic of the present civilization and specifically
in the Christian and democratic ways of life. The blatant
adulteration of essential truth through dialectical materialism,
however, renders Communism, as a pattern for individual
or national evolution, wholly unacceptable to the honest
of heart.
America and other democracies have already adapted some
progressive ideas of so-called communistic origin in state-supported
welfare, social security, and federal subsidies in housing,
highways, and interstate projects such as the Tennessee
Valley Authority. Likewise, Communist states, notwithstanding
their avowed opposition to democracy, are susceptible to
the fresh winds of freedom through mass education according
to ability, which throughout history has been the beginning
of the emancipation of the people. The synthesis of elements
of opposing systems is the adaptation universal truth wherever
found, to current social demands; and this must never be
misconstrued as compromise or peaceful coexistence with
error.
Disciplined Love and Divine Discrimination
Adjust Imbalances
It must be remembered that Communists throughout the world,
as well as the Russian people, in all their stolid devotion
to service, are as much victims of the international horror
of Communism as anyone. And they must be loved for their
essential humanity rather than despised for their indoctrinations
and misplaced fervor. Love, then, must be actively used
to create a cradle of understanding which will avoid the
imbalanced yin and yang of alternate feelings of revulsion
and exultation. With the calm measuring instrument of a
disciplined mind and heart, men must weigh the right and
left aspects of life and remain unswayed, emotionally or
mentally, by disturbing forces.
The golden mean of pure truth embodied in the words "Do
unto others as you would have them do unto you" is
a far more facile and articulate phrasing of the just law
than the most complex sociological or philosophical system.
The right understanding of the matter of outer conditions
is that the yin and yang are merely aspects of the whole
law in manifestation and, as such, these aspects are neither
good nor evil, such qualification depending upon whether
the idea being propounded is appropriate and adequate to
serve the purposes of the world order.
The current state of the world in power politics, philosophy,
and even in religion has created a hectic and emotional
maelstrom or critical dilemma to which the individual is
expected to respond with manifest allegiance to one or another
side. In reality, man is intended to express the balance
of divine discrimination whereby in a natural, fluidic state
of freewill choice he can select, preselect, and, if necessary,
reject any sequence of ideas or authoritative system which
is incompatible with the law of his own being, true happiness,
or inner guidance.
This freedom, which must never be yielded, we assert is
more important than outer, temporary conditions. As Esau's
birthright was sold for a bowl of soup, so hungry men are
being mustered into the camp of Communism while organized
religion stands by in defense of holy principles, but frequently
remains absent from active encounter with the very apathy
which has lulled their freedom-loving hearts into slumber.
. Thus men's own lullaby of neglect is responsible for this
dangerous status quo of lack.
Golden-Age Blueprint
Order and Perfection
Out of the fires of the idea of world perfection and true
order and from the rubble of an outgrown and discarded yin
and yang civilization (witnessed by two seemingly opposing
forces) shall arise the phoenix bird of the golden-age civilization.
Thesis and antithesis of right and left positions and oppositions
shall be resolved in the synthesis of balanced integration
and interaction of man's individual endowments with those
of the whole community.
Accelerated Deliverance, Communion of Hearts
An accelerated tempo of deliverance to all humanity ought
now to impart that divine impulse which restores natural
harmony to the outer spheres of the family of nations by
reestablishing a deep line of inner communication between
hearts the world around. Such communion is in that full
measure which leaves no room for separatism, but makes of
the common quest for perfection a scientific law of purest
accuracy defined by the proof of united action, bound by
a fierce, unyielding universal integrity.
One Life, One Body
Christians, other religionists, and nonrelgionists must
overthrow the weights of indifference and inertia wherever
they are found to be impeding the free flow of spiritual
energies so needed to revitalize the democratic world. It
is the very stagnation of self-satisfaction that has made
acceptable to the dulled senses of society those conditions
of hunger, ignorance, suffering, and disease which exist
side by side with abundance and opportunity.
Social inequities must be abolished once and for all through
wise and loving care freely given to every part of the world
body with the compassion which knows that the whole cannot
be made whole while one of its members is left unaided.
Did not the great master Jesus state the supreme law of
universal brotherhood based on the inherent unity of all
life when he said, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto
one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto
me"?
Pragmatic Preservation of Energy
Now is the time. Unless world citizens shall come
forward with dispatch to supply the needs of others--educationally,
spiritually, and economically--presently enjoyed freedoms
may be lost for posterity to the Moloch of human greed.
The penalty for apathy and self-deceit would then be exacted
upon all of the members of the world body, including the
free religious communities.
The energies of the world's leaders are already taxed enough,
it is true. On the other hand, conflict of interest among
nations and peoples, in business organizations, political
systems, and even between religious and cultural institutions--competition
itself--is so keen as to utilize about 50 percent of the
world's constructive energy! If this energy and the potential
it represents were redirected into the scale of right and
justice to balance world affairs, ills would be cured rather
than endured, as is presently the case.
Social Ills And Their Cures
Business Deceit Corrected through Law of Returns
Among the more serious problems of business today is the
rising trend to produce by deliberate intent inferior merchandise
for the repeat trade. Engineering know-how has been used
to defraud the consumer not only of the superior products
that it is capable of producing, but also of the benefits
of increased leisure hours which would result from the manufacture
and distribution of commodities made to pass the test of
excellence. Instead of assuming the increased responsibility
attendant with increased knowledge, mankind have flaunted
the higher law and the precious gifts of wisdom to outsmart
the public and fill private purses.
Scientific invention and skills ought to be used in their
most effective manner for the general welfare of mankind
instead of being suppressed by competitive economic interest.
The abuses of child labor in the cotton mills of England
may be long ended, but much of the world still dwells in
the twilight zone of nugacious effort. Let the world be
freed from needless drudgery through the harnessing of its
scientific resources to serve humanity's needs. Clothing,
machinery, and other so-called durable commodities should
be made to wear not to a minimum, but rather to a maximum
greed of service.
The merchants of Babylon have in dishonor sacked the people
of the world by aborting divine purpose in ignorance of
the universal law of sympathetic attraction. They have closed
their eyes to the truth that all good rendered unto life
returns to the one sending it forth. If men are not motivated
by essential humanitarianism, they should at least pay their
respects to this irrevocable law on the basis of enlightened
self-interest!
Natural Law Corrects Abuses Imposed upon Life
Cataclysm on a planetary scale has been forestalled more
than once by the power of Divine Love expressing through
the world's spiritual leaders and the mighty prayer force
they muster. Mankind owe a continual debt of gratitude to
the true spiritual guardians of the race, whose unceasing
prayers have interceded in their behalf. People of earth,
this cannot go on forever! Individual responsibility for
distortions imposed upon the earth shall be exacted by natural
law.
When people do not respond to God's laws through the orderly
processes of Love's gentle ministrations, they set in motion
the only alternate method whereby Nature can correct those
abuses; then natural law operates through disaster, fire,
flood, and mass epidemics as the earth convulsively shrugs
off men's perverted creations in order that the nobler image
may once more be brought forth. We make plain: the law ever
prefers the gentler way!
Divine Inheritance Preserved by World Good Will
Men and women of this blessed planet, you must rise in a
united effort to throw off all chains of violence, warfare,
greed, deceitful advertising, harmful habits, and the insatiable
desire for trash in entertainment! Replace these plunderers
of your divine inheritance by those spiritual and cultural
pursuits which will expand for the individual soul a more
permanent state of happiness resulting from new horizons
of truth and wondrous revelations concerning the total being
of each individual and his place in the universal order.
Crime will diminish in direct proportion to the unbiased
application of proper cultural and religious training through
the world's vast networks of communication systems. There
is no excuse for ignorance or immorality in America, where
drama and instruction bearing the high concepts of integrity
and justice may be brought to the most humble shack through
radio and television.
Because the individual and the family are linked with the
state and because personal security is of great importance
to the individual, it is essential that personal integrity
be the example maintained at the grass-roots level as the
standard for public servants at all echelons of government.
Ministers holding public office should keep faith with the
people and thus help the people to keep faith with them.
Most problems are centered in the marketplace of life's
basic necessities. Therefore, give knowledge, bread, and
opportunity to all, and strengthen thereby the most natural
deterrents to war and Communism. Reduced to its simplest
expression, the formula for world good will and happiness
is this: Feed the hungry, teach the ignorant, and love the
people of the whole world as yourself. Sponsor this unity
of good will, and the earth will prosper.
Disarming Power Of Revitalized Spirituality
Application of Religion to Politics
The application of true religion to the politics of the
free world is the strongest defense any nation can possess,
and I affirm this regardless of the truism that religion
and politics ought not to mix. I say mix them! But mix them
well and let both the religion and the politics be above
the mediocrity of smallness and factions, dedicated rather
to honesty, unity, and the commonweal. I therefore advocate,
as a solution to the world's problems of war and peace,
the disarming power of revitalized spirituality, no matter
the various power of revitalized spirituality, no matter
the various branches and numbers of religious groups participating--preferably
all--for this action cannot be overdone.
Universal Spirituality Excludes Competitive Religion
Hitherto, attempts to infuse the churches with new life
have only been underdone or adulterated by platitudes and
partial inertia. The very dimension of universal spirituality
excludes competition between sects for the attention and
loyalty of the people. Contrary to popular belief, often
rooted in fear instead of illumined faith, the strength
and vitality of the church do not lie in numbers, but in
purity of heart, mind, and purpose. Where life and consciousness
are consecrated to healing and good works fortified by holy
contemplation, there is the place prepared to receive mighty
currents of spiritual power which can be mobilized for the
salvation of cities, nations, and continents.
Purity Determines Spiritual Balance of Power
Thus a handful of dedicated, selfless individuals can make
the difference in the spiritual balance of power for the
entire planet, irrespective of the particular religious
edifice they may or may not occupy; for God has planted
his seeds in the waste places and in the gardens which flourish,
that all may be blessed with the abundance of every good
and perfect gift. That God is no respecter of persons or
systems is attested to by the saints in heaven who have
arisen from every age and walk of life under the common
banner of charity whose tenet is supreme allegiance to that
life which is God and that God which is love in action.
Bonds of Common Service
Men and nations have proven their ability to unite on the
battlefield in the face of a common danger during times
of war and crisis. Now let them prove their ability in the
fields golden with the ripened grain of a spiritual harvest
awaiting volunteers who will forswear doctrinal division
for the immediate goals of universal freedom, liberty, and
brotherhood. And let them not so much as wipe the sweat
from their brows until the inalienable rights of every man,
woman, and child are made secure through law and impartial
justice upholding "life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness."
Then and only then dare a man stop to consider if his brother
agree with his personal credo. Then and only then will men
find that they were in agreement all the while. The bonds
of common service are stronger than the divisionary lines
of doctrinal interpretations or hairsplitting casuistry.
The prophecy of Isaiah "And they shall beat their swords
into plowshares and their spears into pruninghooks: nation
shall not lift sword against nation;, neither shall they
learn war any more" will be fulfilled when men keep
their eyes on the universal purpose of one world, laying
aside lesser aims for the good of the whole.
Let participants in any forthcoming ecumenical conference
take this truth to heart as their star of Bethlehem whose
brilliant promise, so magnificent, makes hesitation for
inferior objectives unthinkable. When the brotherhood of
man is achieved, the settling of disputes concerning doctrinal
tenets will seem less urgent. Any choice which destroys
harmony between neighbors or nations is unworthy of man
and unrepresentative of the will of God for the earth.
The poet-sage wisely observed, "As for man, his days
are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth."
The life of man is eternally locked within the heart of
the Creator, but his sojourn upon earth is framed within
the temporal realm of hours and years. Therefore, let him
make full use of that brief opportunity to externalize the
City of God among the children of men and in so doing find
for himself a just reward in one of the Father's many mansions
through the life everlasting. When the concept of the commonweal
is wholeheartedly embraced, the angelic song "Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward
men" will be on the lips of one and all, a testimony
to living truth and brotherly love.
In religion as in politics, the attitude of the spectator
sport replaces what should be a total self-immersion in
the permanent realities of life. What is needed is for men
to become imbued with a greater sense of active participation
in world good will. This sense of world good will must naturally
express, as it is wont to do, in a more profound universal
amity paramount to an apparent universal disunity.
Document Effective
While some men aver that documentation if ineffective, the
many successful instruments of liberty attest not only to
their far-reaching influence, but also to the necessity
for such documents. At crucial periods throughout history,
they have served in focusing attention on the noble ideals
which have carried nations forward when without such vision
the people would have perished.
Therefore, I am promulgating this encyclical with just that
vision of God-victory in mind. I trust that it will be truthfully
and accurately translated and distributed around the world;
for the good that it contains brims from the hearts of the
members of the Darjeeling Council, whose every thought is
literally charged with good will and devotion to the liberation
of mankind from every form of tyranny.
Let none entertain the discouraging suggestion that because
abuses have not been remedied in the past, they cannot now
be remedied or that this document cannot be effective. If
the kernel of its intent is respected and implemented by
millions, it can well make possible a universal injunction
of right action until, like a snowball rolling down the
Himalayan hills, the magnetic force of such right action,
imbued with the vitality of divine love, will gather enough
momentum to bear an avalanche of progress to the whole world.
Such is our hope.
I respectfully and lovingly submit the following program
as practical steps in effectuating my expressed ideas. These
ideas, if given root and purpose in the days to come, will
mightily affect the course of natural events, promote tranquility,
and establish great affection between hearts.
Nine-Point Program
1) International Citizenship
and Responsibility through Education
Draft an educational program embodying principles of international
citizen ship, stressing the importance of a world-wide outlook
from early childhood to be attained through free exposure
to customs, folklore, and languages of a variety of nations
and cultures. This attitude, instead of destroying loyalty
to one's native land, will enable children to compare their
own way of life with that of children in other lands and
thus develop greater appreciation for their own heritage
while sharing the joys of other peoples. Seek to enlarge
the borders of children's affections without concern for
an alienation of those affections through exposure to new
ideas and modes of living.
Let this draft be reviewed by the world's leading educational
policymakers, teachers, and every adult interested in the
future of youth and country. Let this program be considered
in international committees, national agencies, and by state
and local school boards and religious organizations. And
let every responsible citizen make it his duty to give greater
understanding of life and its vital purposes through international
awareness to the few or many young people he may daily find
entering his sphere of influence.
Let all understand their responsibility to other nations
in the same light as they accept responsibility for their
countries and individual members of their families. Develop
the habit of caring about the problems indigenous to other
nations and of working towards their solution as earnestly
as if they were matters confronting one's own household
or clan. Teach children to pray not only for the playmates
whose familiar faces they greet each day, but also for other
millions they know not. And above all, teach them that their
prayers are answered for the many as effectively as for
the few.
2) Individual Expression through Essays on Integrity
Let civic, religious, and cultural groups sponsor contests
for the best essays on "Why Integrity Is Essential
to World Good Will." Let the best fruits of these efforts
be printed in a series of articles, later to become a permanent
part of the world's literary heritage. The purpose of these
writings will be to create a new moral climate in which
neither Communism, greed, nor ego-induced motives can abide.
Men and women who determine to add to the archives of earth's
wisdom a tablet inscribed with a defense of virtue and truth
will surely deserve the honor of heaven.
3) Universal Conscience through Universal
Participation in Current World Affairs
Let every receptive organization constitute itself ipso
facto a round-table peace and good will corps by setting
aside a portion of each meeting to the constructive discussion,
research, and analysis of the major causes of the present
lack of world harmony. Let each group present their joint
solutions and resolutions to their representatives in international
forums, as well as in their national, state, or local governments,
depending on the nature of the problem they undertake to
explore. This assistance will add the pressure of many constructive
minds to those in offices responsible for shaping and carrying
out policies of great consequence. Thus there will be created
an enormous wave of constructive and illuminating thought
power in world affairs which will assist the evolution of
the individuals participating as much as it will benefit
the various governing bodies.
Mass participation in political and cultural affairs was
the basis of the glory of the Greek city-states. Their downfall
was caused by disunity and rivalry. If the latter can be
eliminated and the former reinstated, the world will see
the dawn of a golden age unparalleled in recorded history.
This is universal conscience in action.
4) United Faith through United Action
At all forthcoming ecumenical and religious conferences,
let the steering committees thereof sublimate less important
personal doctrines and stress those tenets of faith which
are of universal agreement. Let them determine in the interest
of world harmony to sacrifice, if necessary, some measure
of organizational advantage in order to implement long-overdue
programs of good will which will unite the hearts of the
faithful everywhere in the strengthening bonds of service.
Let all such conferences be founded upon the purpose of
discovering and putting into action joint humanitarian endeavors
to raise standards of living and instill wider cultural
appreciation and an emulation of the lives and works of
the many avatars, saints, and prophets who have graced the
earth. Men can well afford postponement of doctrinal agreement
until, through the baptism of ordered service, they all
come together in one accord, face to face with the knowledge
of the true law of life and its application in the resolution
of all human difficulties.
5) World Citizenship through Cultural Exchange Programs
Recognizing that the only real disarmament is the outgoing
feeling of brotherly love, let such love be nurtured through
a continuous expansion of all cultural exchange programs
between nations. Let these programs be geared to the youth
of the world, and make participation therein, in some form,
a part of their required educational curricula.
Establish an international agency to coordinate the free
exchange of you people in schools, universities, and working
situations throughout the globe. Let students en masse learn
to study and work and play together with their counterparts
abroad and become, through associations with many types
of individuals and surroundings, citizens of the world at
home in Paris, Calcutta, Tokyo, Sidney, Buenos Aires, or
Los Angeles.
Let such exchanges also take place on professional levels
with cooperation in the fields of science and the universal
languages of music, art, and good theater. Trends already
working in this direction should be reinforced by greater
financial assistance from national governments, as well
as from private foundations, to give fuller opportunity
to millions more who have never ventured beyond their own
doorsteps.
6) Social Evils Attacked through
Examination of Monetary Systems
Let the monetary systems of the world come under closer
scrutiny. The use of money is a presently necessary evil,
and therefore it should be kept under the microscope of
man's focused attention in order to determine where it is
hindering the expression of a more perfect civilization
upon earth.
While preparing this encyclical, I make such an investigation
and found the financial systems of the world of such a nature
as to almost defy probing, especially as to the far-reaching
effects these systems have upon human affairs. Upon discovering
a great measure of the causes and effects involved, I discovered
with the facts that so much confusion would be introduced
by revealing these matters in their entirety that they were
better left unsaid for the time being. I therefore recommend
that mankind, who created these conditions, ought to bite
off little by little as many of the pieces of the economic
puzzle as they can reasonably and properly digest, correcting
their ills as rapidly as possible and thus ending the root
cause of most other social and moral evils upon earth. Men
of good will, accept the challenge!
7) Speedy Adjustment of Civil Inequities
through Ombudsman
The courts of every nation are, in the main, backlogged
with hearings and investigations, making the attainment
of swift justice nearly impossible in many cases and therefore
discouraging judicial redress. The Ombudsman system used
in the Scandinavian countries fulfills the purpose of alleviating
much of this distress and other bureaucratic ills. The Ombudsman
is a special parliamentary commissioner appointed for a
specific term of office. He receives complaints of citizens
aggrieved by official or judicial action and is fully empowered
to investigate and, when necessary, seek direct legal or
legislative assistance.
Such a clearinghouse for complaints not only reconciles
citizens to government, but also prevents dedicated civil
servants from unwarranted public attacks and arbitrary action
by their own departmental superiors. It is an implement
of freedom and ought to be examined by all nations and instituted
within the framework of their governmental systems as a
safety valve and means of direct action to prevent tyranny
and tragedy from holding sway while the mills of justice
slowly and painfully continue to grind away with the passing
of years.
8) Universal Equality before the Law
through the Public-Defender System
Tales of innocent men executed for crimes they did not commit
have haunted the conscience of every honest judge and juror
and have been the theme of many a fair tale. The expansion
of population and increased crowding of cities and land
with a teeming multitude has not lessened the possibility
of justice miscarrying through human channels, no matter
how carefully the ashes of truth are sifted.
Poverty and uncertainly continue to plague many who are
honest but poor, and the use of the public-defender system
should be widely introduced and universally proclaimed.
The providing of public counsel dedicated to the honest
defense of the accused and the securing for him of every
right to which he is entitled under law ought to be the
province of good government everywhere. This function of
government is a vital touchstone to securing the rights
of liberty, life, and happiness to all.
9) Byword of Universal Good Will:
"I AM My Brother's Keeper"
My ninth and final recommendation is a personal one, and
I urge that it be widely considered by individuals and organizations
as well, especially those whose bylaws and purposes fit
them to serve in creating a better world.
Your life is a doorway to reality which is too often closed
by misunderstanding. Most barriers between the individual
and right understanding have their origin in the imitation
of another's thoughts or actions. The wise and observing
will seek to sift the ashes of human thought and feeling
in order to extract the precious treasure of those immortal
concepts which people must learn to enjoy because of their
internal worth. Conversely, men must realize that through
habit they have learned much which is in reality false.
This you must unlearn, if your sense of values is to reflect
that nobility which is your true birthright. Astronomy will
eventually reveal that worlds without end exist in an infinitude
so vast as to defy human comprehension.
Mankind, functioning as they do in the three-dimensional
world, must strive to master themselves in the world of
the present and, above all, secure that emotional control
which will prevent them from falling prey to every false
form of dominion. By the power of freedom the entire world
shall overcome all wrong ideas and evolve for each person
a concept of beauty of such dimensions as to make all harmonious
within the diversified world society while creating a society
that is in harmony with the individual.
The universal key sought after by all religions is to be
found in an understanding love which not only tolerates
progress in another but also encourages it. Let all then,
in a spirit of compassion and liberty, remain their brothers'
keepers.
Farewell
In closing, I would emphasize that neither right nor left
elements of world society, neither orthodox nor unorthodox
elements of religion possess in evidential manifestation
the complete solution to the whole of the world's problems:
and yet in many facets of their ideas and doctrines, they
hold promise of great good and enlightenment to men.
No promise can be kept, however, unless faith in the promise
be active in the lives of those who profess to believe in
it. I hold with the right of each man or organization to
think that he or it has the solution to the world's ills,
in either doctrine or authority. I do not seek to influence
human will, but pray the favor of Almighty God to intercede
his divine will and supreme understanding upon the minds
and hearts of all.
With the strands of a tolerant unity, a permanent and universal
oneness can be woven. To do this well, wisely, and presently,
it must be recognized that the faith that unity can be achieved
is needed, beginning with the blessed international good
will which summons from the confusion of elemental divergence
the clarity that evokes right action.
Let love--that spiritual love which is neither dissimulative
nor disappointing to the yearnings of mankind--expand in
every life until that degree of universal understanding
manifests which, although yet but a small part of the mind
of God, is able to generate and regenerate upon earth enough
of that stuff of which dreams of the golden age are made
of!
I remain and I AM by the grace of God
El Morya
April 9, 1963
Copyright © 1963, Summit University Press, P.O. Box
5000, Corwin Springs, Montana 59030-5000. (406) 848-9500.
Web site: http://www.tsl.org.
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