Collaboration

Wisdom Teachings
Groups and Service
Cooperation

The Divine tries to involve those who are very competent to manifest the Divine. Those who are incompetent cannot be used by the Divine or the Teacher. More work is entrusted to the competent collaborators. Normally it is accepted that employees expect their superior to remind them of the work to be done. But the Masters explain, “If we say a job should be ready the next day, then it should be ready. We do not give work to those who prove to be incompetent. If we gave them work, they would say, I couldn't do it or I forgot.” Collaborators should estimate how much time is needed and then allow for a little more time to do the job well.

Behind every successful teacher there is a good student, just as behind every successful man there is a good woman. The teacher will become known because the student does a good job. Ramakrishna found in Vivekananda someone who was very competent; he could rely on him and work with him. Krishna chose Arjuna because Arjuna was very capable. A disciple came to Shivananda Murthi and said, “I am very fortunate to have a teacher like you.” Shivananda Murthi replied, “All the teachers in India are waiting to have a good disciple.” An important proverb says: “Good devotees are ardent students, they eagerly aspire for the divine, but the divine also aspires for ardent students.”

To do good work with fiery aspiration is a special competence that the Divine uses to manifest the Plan. Work should only be given to those who do the work well. Many are involved in the organization of the Guru Pujas every year. However, we should not only work with special commitment on a particular occasion, but show consistency in all aspects. If we only work when we have time, there are many interruptions. The sublime beings then never know how we will act the next day. We have many personal activities, but we also want to be available for the work of the Master. So, we get into conflicts and are not useful for the work. A train that often has interruptions we try to avoid next time.

No one need despair or indulge in self-pity because of the apparent littleness of the role they play in life. We cannot all have high posts and if we did, we could not be competent to fill them. From a spiritual viewpoint all work is of equal importance and manmade distinctions are false and dangerous.

The Masters need intelligent and effective co-workers. There are many good people who are not effective. And there are many effective people who are not working for the good. Thus, goodwill cannot manifest itself so easily. A terrorist is always alert and influences society with a lot of intelligence. Thieves and robbers are often more effective than the police and security services. The black businesses do more profitable business with nightclubs and gambling houses, with weapons, drugs, alcohol and cigarette smuggling than the businesses promoting welfare.

If we want to participate in the plan of goodwill, we should not only be busy with our own little lives, but also know what is happening on the planet. Many collaborators have an aversion to television and the media, because there is a lot of useless stuff there. But the media are available for the work of goodwill as well as for other purposes. We need an intelligent understanding and common sense. The needs of society must be met on the physical, emotional, mental, intellectual and spiritual levels. Dangers to the society also need to be prevented. For participation in the Plan we need 'normal temperament'. This means staying neutral and not getting involved in things. When we are neutral, we remain clear and calm inside.

For the disciple it says, do not judge. The continuation 'so that you are not condemned’ is wrong. This means that I do not judge for fear of being judged. If we follow laws and rules only when the police are in sight, we are not disciplined. Fear is not an incentive for transformation. God is love, and love is God. What is important is that we see the One in all and focus our lives to serve others, and that we cooperate when someone serves. All work for the upliftment of humanity is divine work.

A true disciple does not seek social recognition and he does not fall into the illusion of aggrandizing themselves. He does what he needs to do, regardless of co-workers and followers. For his co-workers, he is an example of how to transcend difficulties. Doubt and self-pity cannot overcome the difficulties, but if we strengthen the bond with the Teacher, we strengthen ourselves. The psychic energy of the Teacher is inexhaustible. He is always ready to help. By bonding with him we can transform ourselves and become useful co-workers.

The group itself is the Master and he expresses himself through the group. The Master reveals himself in each one of us, and therefore an enormous power lies in joint, harmonious work. Those who work with the inspiration of the Master remain simple, they work in silence and transparency. They do not talk about themselves and their accomplishments in the inner world. Their main work is to stand firmly in Divinity and enable the Will of the Divine to function through them. They work for the Plan and have no personal plan. They mingle with society and conduct acts of goodwill without much fuss or personal aggrandisement.

We should neither be overjoyed when others praise us nor depressed when they reprimand us. If we want to do a work and have made a decision that we think is good, we should remain with it. We simply follow what our soul suggests and rely on nothing else on the outside. When we start to work in this way, we will also find the people who are at one with the Will. To wait for people to come and collaborate with us is a weak will. When we are anchored within ourselves, the Self arranges everything with time - the means and the collaborators and the appropriate time for manifestation. There are also often times of crisis, when it is especially important to rely completely on the inner Self or the Master. If we align ourselves with his energy, we are uplifted and receive strength, inspiration, inner peace, balance and stability - all the qualities necessary for working on the Plan.

Poorly organized people waste time and money. Both must be used in a constructive way, so that the energy flows into meaningful areas of activity. Essential work gives vitality and fulfilment. Relaxation, refreshment and entertainment need not be ignored either, but they should be in the right proportion. If the work is enjoyable, it relaxes and refreshes the workers. A little chatting relaxes and enables the manifestation of magnetic vibrations, if done in the right dosage. Fanatical workers fall into the illusions of ideals. Useless work and gossip, however, cause fatigue. We should keep away from constant chatter and personality worshipers. But willing persons are slowly transformed into useful helpers.

We should neither overestimate ourselves nor overestimate the abilities of the group. Before we engage in service activities, we should soberly assess the intellectual and emotional capacities and the material resources. It is wise to know one's limitations. At the same time, we should not underrate ourselves. Underrating makes one timid and hinders progress. A slight overrating is more advisable than a slight underrating. It can be disastrous to rely on someone too much. If inefficient people fill important positions in the service, qualified co-workers may suffer and eventually leave the group.

When a Master of Wisdom is pleased with us, he opens doors that we could not open on our own. Could Madame Blavatsky have imagined that she would be shown the very oldest manuscripts, which are kept as the highest secrets in the cave temples?

We also need the collaboration of our personality and our body. Without the personality we can do nothing. It is the executor; the soul is the advisor. We must be kind to our personality and give it what it needs. And the body has to be kept in a good condition, then it will cooperate. We also need the collaboration of nature. She entrusts us with many means and possibilities, if she has the confidence that we will make good use of them.

If we do good ceaselessly and work with thoughts of goodwill, then we receive the collaboration of the Devas. These thoughts we receive are flowers that the devas pour down upon us, and we should put them into practice immediately. Then more and more such thoughts will come to us. Even initiates approach us and give their blessings when we transform these thoughts into acts of goodwill. This is no different from the normal world of work. A boss will go to a co-worker who is always working very hard and ask him how he is doing and if he needs anything etc. Through the collaboration of the Devas and the Masters, the Light manifests in us and through us in a much more tangible way.

Sources used: K.P. Kumar: Nutrients for Discipleship. Div. seminar notes. The World Teacher Trust - Dhanishta, Visakhapatnam, India