Notebooks of Paul Brunton > Category 1: Overview of the Quest > Chapter 4: Organize !

roups
Organize !roups
Benefits for beginners
1
"houl he #oin an organization$ a %o&&unity of stuents$ or a group of seekers' "o&e
are hinere by su%h a &ove$ others feel they are helpe( all in the en will have to
%o&e to the&selves$ will have to look inwar rather than outwar)
*
+he usefulness of organizations &akes the& a ne%essity) +he appoint&ent of &en to
a&inister those organizations is unavoiable)
,
-n the arrange&ents of hu&an so%iety$ there is a ne%essary pla%e for hu&an institutions)
4
-n his earlier years$ the seeker &ay try one kin of institution of a religious or &ysti%al
%hara%ter an then &ove to a ifferent one if it oes not fulfil his e.pe%tations) -n this
way he &ay e.peri&ent with ifferent %rees an ifferent for&s of pra%ti%e) +his &ay
be useful so far as it e.poses hi& to the influen%es whi%h are neee to balan%e one
another) But it &ay be bewilering if he overoes it)
/
0ost traitional for&s$ or the newer organizations whi%h have so&e sort of spiritual
tea%hing$ are useful in the beginning to &ost people) But this is not to say that they1re
going to be useful always) +hey have their li&itations$ an at a %ertain stage &ay
prevent further avan%e)
2
But those who %an stan alone are always s&aller in nu&ber: &ost persons will frankly
a&it that they %annot$ %ertainly &ost young an &ost ol persons) +his is the
#ustifi%ation for the nee of organizations$ groups$ %hur%hes$ an priesthoos) +hey offer
what see&s fi.e support in life$ stable in o%trine$ superior nobler holier an wiser
than what the orinary person fins in hi&self) +his is why philosophy attra%ts the few$
those who are$ or who %an be traine to be%o&e$ strong enough to walk a lonely path)
3
- have never forgotten the state&ent &ae to &e so&ewhere in -nia by a young &an
who ha re%ently #oine the "o%iety of 4riens an ha been sent out to what was then a
fa&ine5stri%ken tropi% %ountry on a Quaker relief pro#e%t) 67hy$ when you a&it to all
these 8ueries an oubts$ an feel you are sear%hing$ o you then &ake yourself a
&e&ber of a se%t$ a&ittely one of the noblest an finest of all$ but still a se%t$ with all
the li&itations whi%h go with it'6 - ha aske hi&) 9e thought for a while an then
broke the long silen%e to reply: 6- 8uite unerstan an a&it what you say about
se%tarian li&itations) But - feel &y youth an ine.perien%e an weakness) :t &y age
there is nee for so&e kin of support fro& outsie$ so&e group to give &e not &erely
fellowship but also a feeling of soliity an stability$ so&ething to lean upon$ in short)6
7hat he sai taught &e a lesson an &ae &e unerstan sy&patheti%ally that the love
of inepenen%e to ensure a free sear%h$ an the esire for self5relian%e o not belong to
everyboy$ an that others$ %ertainly &ost people$ have other nees$ prefer other ways$
for whi%h there is also roo& in hu&an life)
;
<espite these %riti%is&s$ however$ he sees also how organizational life was helpful to
his early efforts an guie his early steps) 9e knows that there is a pla%e for it$ but he
also knows that that pla%e is a preli&inary one) -f the final work of a seeker is to be
one for an upon hi&self$ that oes not ispla%e the ne%essity of an institution in
assisting hi& to o the preparatory work) +herefore$ even the avan%e &ysti%$ who has
no nee of its servi%es$ %annot in prin%iple be hostile to an institution) 9e reaily a&its
its ne%essity an enies only its all5suffi%ien%y)
=
+hese groups le by a guru &ay be 8uite useful to a beginner who is stu&bling in the
ark) But to #oin one without knowing the li&itations an angers woul be foolish)
1>
0e&bership in a group$ be it a vastly sprea religion or a s&all &inor se%t$ gives ea%h
&e&ber a feeling of %orre%tness in their #oint beliefs( ea%h supports the others) But this
&ay begin to weaken when so&e rasti% an une.pe%te event &ay prove har to bear)
11
+he strength of su%h a group &ust lie in its 8uality an not in its nu&bers) -t &ust be the
result not of propagana a%tivities but of the spontaneous asso%iation of like5thinking
people)
1*
-t is true that there are &any e%%entri%s a&ong these believers but there are also &any
serious sensible an well5behave people a&ong the&)
1,
?eligious followers begin to organize the&selves either 8uite spontaneously when
unle$ or 8uite obeiently when a leaer appears$ for several goo unerstanable
reasons) +he %o&ing together in a %o&pa%t group affors so&e prote%tion$ offers the& a
&oe of e.pression an the tea%hing a &oe of preservation)
14
+here is nothing wrong with the group iea if its &e&bers &eet for fellowship)
1/
-f he #oins a &onasti% orer he will usually have to take a vow to pra%tise %ertain
restraints an renun%iations) +o a lesser egree this also o%%urs with #oining %ertain
groups an %ir%les in the worl outsie su%h orers) +he value of the vow is that it sets
up a stanar to be followe$ a %ourse to be travelle$ an a goal to be rea%he) 9e &ay
fall fro& the stanar$ eviate fro& the %ourse$ an fail to approa%h the goal$ but their
e.isten%e &ay help hi& %o&e %loser to the ob#e%t of the vow than he &ight otherwise
have %o&e) On the other han$ the lay&an who is not intereste in vows but si&ply
resolves to i&prove hi&self la%ks their sti&ulus) +here is nothing but the inner for%e of
his own ieal to keep hi& fro& abanoning the self5i&pose rigours of his is%ipline)
9e epens on the power whi%h he will have to su&&on up fro& so&ewhere within
hi&self) +he weakness of bining hi&self to the new regi&e whi%h he hi&self has
i&pose is that it %an easily be shirke at any ti&e$ that if he yiels to the in%lination to
o so$ the restraints upon it will be weaker an fewer)
12
7hatever %hur%h$ organization$ or %ult to whi%h he %o&&its hi&self$ he shoul always
&ake for hi&self at least the reservation that he shoul retain the freeo& to leave an
go elsewhere or to %ease seeking a&ong outer organizations an to sear%h within)
13
But there is a pla%e an a nee for the %ohesion of a group$ for the sustaine tea&work
of an organization$ an for the is%ipline i&pose on iniviuals by a %hur%h)
1;
:ny institution ei%ate to training for the life of the "pirit will always keep out the
"pirit) -t %annot be foun through any for&al perfor&an%es$ nor through any organize
group work) :n all that training %an o is to open a way wherethrough$ if It is already
coming or willing to come, it &ay pass)
1=
+he nee to ientify hi&self with an organize group$ establishe religion$ or parti%ular
se%t$ or inee with any %ause$ is at base the nee to ientify hi&self with the !o
within) 9e unwittingly wants to belong to so&ething larger than his own little ego) "u%h
&e&bership helps to a%hieve this be%ause it re&oves the sense of separateness an the
feeling of loneliness) But it oes so only at the surfa%e level) 7ith the efflu. of ti&e$ he
fins it ne%essary to sear%h for satisfa%tion at a eeper level) 4or the group$ the %hur%h$
or the institution are outsie hi& an give it only te&porarily$ partially$ or spottily) :
urable an fuller result is possible only by turning aroun an looking within his own
being) 4or there$ in the hien presen%e of the "piritual self$ he will fin that larger
Cause$ "our%e$ 0ystery$ with whi%h he %an ientify hi&self in the perfe%t way)
*>
-n #oining a so%iety or group he #oins &ostly those who are not &ore avan%e than
hi&self in the %apa%ity to &eitate) +here are %ertain hinran%es to progress whi%h
a%%o&pany &e&bership in su%h organizations) -f$ however$ the so%ial value of fining
other persons intereste in spiritual sub#e%ts outweighs the i&&eiate nee of &aking
inner progress$ then &e&bership woul of %ourse be &ost helpful)
*1
0y avi%e is often aske about for&ing a little group of people to stuy &y books)
Orinarily$ there is no ob#e%tion to a few people &eeting together for su%h stuy$ as they
&ight help answer &utual 8uestions) But it is best not to let the group in%rease its size)
+here are several reasons why it is better to restri%t the %lass to a s&all nu&ber than to
let everyone who wishes enter it) Quality shoul be the only %onsieration in su%h
a&issions( 8uantity woul in the en isintegrate the group) @et the effort be li&ite to
stuy$ %learing up 8uestions$ an talks) !roup &eitation shoul not be pra%tise a&ong
beginners if there is no powerful uplifting leaer in their &ist to prote%t the&) +here is
a right ti&e an a wrong ti&e for personal eneavour to lea an assist a spiritual group)
+he right ti&e will %o&e only with %o&peten%e) Antil then there is the ever5present task
of the stuent1s own self5i&prove&ent) +hat is above all else)
**
-t is only as group allegian%es are slowly wiene that goowill %an be establishe
towars those who are outsie su%h borers)
*,
+he esire of an iniviual to #oin a group %an never be given &ore than 8ualifie
approval) But if he feels %ertain that so&ething &ay be gaine by asso%iating with other
seekers$ an if he is su%%essful in fining a group evote e.%lusively to the sear%h for
the highest +ruth$ it &ay be all right for hi& at that parti%ular phase of his evelop&ent)
*4
+here is nee of a s%hool where an effe%tive for& of servi%e woul be the giving of
pra%ti%al initiation into &eitation for ine.perien%e beginners$ an the guian%e of
evelop&ent for e.perien%e inter&eiates) +his %oul o &u%h goo) : single &eeting
for &eitation is usually enough: iniviuals %oul then be left to work out for
the&selves the %onta%t thus given$ returning to the s%hool perioi%ally for further an
&ore avan%e instru%tion)
*/
-nstea of being foun out$ the parti%ular nees an spe%ial tenen%ies of the iniviual
seeker will be ignore an even suppresse in the eneavour to %onfor& hi& to the
syste&) +here is both goo an ba in this) 7hi%h of these he will re%eive epens upon
the %o&peten%e of the tea%her$ if he has one$ or the &ental attitue he takes towar the
syste& itself55upon his blin slavish aheren%e to it or intelligent$ open5eye use of it)
*2
9e is uner no obligation to stay fi.e in an ashra& or group &erely be%ause he on%e
entere it)
*3
+he ti&e %o&es when the aspiring philosopher feels that he will get no a%tual benefit
fro& his stuies an &ake no personal progress unless he enters the se%on stage an
begins to work on hi&self) -t is then that he will per%eive$ if he is not too foolish$ that
&ost of these groups an %ults are of no further use to hi&)
*;
+hose who feel their own path or s%hool or %ult %alls to the& shoul hee it) -t is right
for the&) But they shoul not be so narrow as to pro%lai& it to be the only way to !o)
*=
- a& not %riti%izing those who follow su%h ways or avo%ate su%h tea%hings$ nor
venturing to #uge their rightness or wrongness) +he nee for$ an the usefulness of$
group organization is a&itte) But - feel there is an e8ual nee for a ifferent approa%h$
for inepenen%e fro& all group organizations( there is roo& for a path whi%h avois
6#oining)6 +his nee not be &isunerstoo) +here are those who like the first way an
they will have to follow it) +here are others who will prefer the se%on way) - a& a&ong
the&) Both ways are neee but by ifferent people)
,>
7e &ust be prepare in avan%e not to e.pe%t too &u%h fro& hu&an institutions$ for the
si&ple reason that they are a&inistere by or %o&pose of hu&an beings$ that neither
they nor the institutions are perfe%t$ that any %lai& to the %ontrary is a roseate rea&$
any belief in the affir&ative is naBve$ an the person holing it is ine.perien%e)
,1
+o fin out that his way oes not lie through su%h %ults is a useful %o&pensation for the
ti&e spent in following su%h a way$ although life is harly long enough to spen &u%h
of it in su%h negative pursuits)
,*
+he beginner who ventures on a tour of these %ults$ in the hope of fining one to suit
hi&$ ventures into a anger5beset fiel$ where luna%y is often &istaken for illu&ination
an where e.aggerate %lai&s substitute for soli fa%ts)
,,
+he esire for power over others$ for authority$ is a for& of personal a&bition whi%h
has$ in the past$ &i.e easily with a spiritual gli&pse) : new se%t$ a new &ove&ent$ has
then %o&e to birth) +he seeker after truth who %o&es in %onta%t with it woul be far
safer to take so&e of the tea%hing without sa%rifi%ing his freeo&$ without #oining the
group)
,4
-f any work$ institution$ or organization is %entere in the Overself it %annot fall into the
base$ negative$ or selfish %urrents whi%h$ in the histori% past$ have pollute$ poisone$
an so&eti&es estroye so &any tasks an enterprises)
Problems
,/
+he pressure to &ake all people &e&bers of organizations$ to her the& together an
affi. labels$ is a kin of &ania) 7hy shoul there not be roo& for untra&&elle$
inepenent &ins$ who prefer to re&ain free an uninfluen%e$ untie to any one
group'
,2
-t is a %o&&on but falla%ious belief that by #oining a group we get at the truth &ore
8ui%kly$ or progress to spiritual reality &ore easily)
,3
7hen &en a%t together in a religious or politi%al organization$ they often a%t worse than
they woul as iniviuals)
,;
7hy is it that the eagerness with whi%h so &any is%iples flo%k to #oin an ashra& ens
so often in a eterioration of %hara%ter after they have live in it for a while' +he
answer is that there is a funa&ental falla%y behin the thinking whi%h raws the& into
it) -t is the falla%y that they have any business with the other is%iples) +heir true
business is with their &aster alone)
,=
+he isavantage of ahering to a single syste& of belief or #oining a single
organization tea%hing religious$ &ysti%al$ or hygieni% prin%iples is that the soun truths
given out are usually one5sie( they ignore others e8ually soun an valuable but
outsie the purview of the syste&1s founer or the organization1s leaer) +his negle%t
prevents attain&ent of the full truth about the sub#e%t)
4>
+here is inee so&e per%eption of this but it is 8uite a %onfuse one) +hat whi%h
ignorant aspiration a%%epts as the ne%essity for #oining so&e group$ is &u%h &ore the
awareness of its own spiritual helplessness than of the group1s spiritual strength)
41
0ost groups of hu&an beings$ &ost of their asso%iations$ so%ieties$ an organizations
suffer at so&e ti&e fro& troubles %ause by hu&an weaknesses an short%o&ings)
+hese in%lue ivisions$ #ealousies$ &ali%es$ an personal islikes or hostilities) +his is
as true of iealisti% an religious groups as of business an professional ones)
4*
+hose with e.perien%e of the %ults an organizations know how unsatisfa%tory they are
in the en) +he passage of truth fro& &in to &in has always been a personal &atter
an %annot be otherwise$ #ust as the training in &eitation is e8ually personal)
4,
+he tea%her soon fins that he is fa%e by a new proble&: the te&pera&ental
in%o&patibilities of the stuents) +hey %annot stuy together without %o&ing into
isagree&ent an they %annot work together without %o&ing into %onfli%t) +hey take
offense too easily an o not realize that the tea%her has uties towar &any other
stuents besies the&selves) +hey %an1t even is%over that the tea%her has sent &ore
letters or given &ore interviews to another stuent without be%o&ing #ealous of the
latter) +hus the personal fa%tor %annot be eli&inate fro& any group) -n the en$ the
tea%her fins that he has to avise ea%h stuent not to %on%ern hi&self about the others)
"o the tea%her %on%lues that he %an get better results by ealing with ea%h iniviual
separately than in a group)
44
+hose who serve the interests of their institution$ those who &ol its poli%y an be%o&e
its instru&ent$ will have to %hoose between su%h a%tivity an the -eal)
4/
+o overrea%t against the &isuse of power or the efi%ien%ies of an institution is to
%o&&it a fresh error)
42
7hilst &en are i&perfe%t an whilst power &akes the& runk$ it is foolish to entrust
the govern&ent of any religious institution$ any religious organization$ or any hu&an
life to a single &an)
43
+he organization of a %hur%h$ group$ or so%iety along the usual lines is too often
&otivate by a &i.ture of urges55so&e %reitable but others not) -f there is the esire to
sprea what is believe to be true$ there &ay also be the esire to o%%upy a pro&inent
leaing position in the organization$ the a&bition to o&inate others)
4;
0en try to es%ape their responsibility in this &atter by haning it over to an offi%ial
Chur%h$ or "piritual !uie$ or referring to "%ripture) But they fail to see that in the en
it is they themselves who #uge between o%trines$ e%ie upon beliefs$ %hoose spiritual
paths$ re8uest %ere&onies an a%%ept observan%es$ an finally an personally pronoun%e
the wors: this is +ruthC +o a%%ept belief is un%ons%iously or %ons%iously to pass a
#uge&ent$ one1s own #uge&ent$ on that belief)
4=
+he iea of introu%ing Questers to other Questers has generally faile to effe%t the
original purpose an has not selo& ha isappointing results) -t is better to re%ognize
that this is an iniviual work$ not to be ientifie with any group effort$ even so s&all a
group as two or three$ let alone the larger ones of several ozen) People %annot blen so
easily as to for& a har&onious frienship or group$ even if they are Questers) Det &any
beginners in their enthusias& try to %reate su%h frienships an have to learn their
lesson when the frienship falls apart) -t is better to let people fin their affinity an
for& their %o&panionships in a natural way) +here is no uty lai upon anyone$ whether
tea%her or taught$ to give introu%tions unless a ire%t$ intuitive biing points to that
uty)
/>
Even where an organization is not a%tually obstru%tive or &isleaing$ it is often
%u&berso&e an unne%essary)
/1
Can the in8uiring an aspiring person fin no better refuge anywhere than so&e rigi
%hur%h or ashra&' 0ust he #oin so&e institution an have the rest of his life lai out for
hi& by others even if it oes violen%e to his own finer feelings an best reasonings'
0ust he #oin a %row of other aspirants or atta%h hi&self to so&e persuasive leaer' -t is
a fa%t that &any if not &ost o this$ whi%h shows the la%k of strength in their &ins an
%hara%ters( but on the other han a &ore popular way is easier an &ore %o&fortable)
/*
Belonging to an elite group$ whether or not it be real as self5%lai&e$ allows its
&e&bers to feel superior$ to be %ones%ening$ an to enigrate others)
/,
: &ove&ent &ay begin an seek to keep itself free fro& organization$ a&inistration$
an authority$ but it is unlikely to re&ain so) 4or hu&an beings$ fallible or a&bitious$
frail or e&otional$ will sooner or later seek to i&pose their ieas$ will$ or the&selves on
the others)
/4
-t was an ol &onk of the early Eastern Orthoo. Chur%h$ -sikhi$ who long ago
witheringly re&arke that if spiritual talk is too fre8uent an too prolonge$ it be%o&es
ile %hatter)
//
4ew are willing to sa%rifi%e their esire for the gregarious support offere by #oining an
organization an therefore few see how this bins the& to its og&as$ i&prisons the&
in its pra%ti%es or &ethos$ an obstru%ts their free hearing of the intuitive voi%e of their
own soul)
/2
- a& not ena&oure over&u%h of this &oern habit$ whi%h for&s a so%iety at faint
provo%ation) : &an1s own proble& stares him alone in the fa%e$ an is not to be solve
by any asso%iation of &en) Every new so%iety we #oin is a fresh te&ptation to waste
ti&e)
/3
+he great &istake of all spiritual organizations is to overlook the fa%t that progress or
salvation is a highly iniviual &atter) Ea%h person has his uni8ue attitue towars life(
ea%h &ust &ove forwar by his own e.paning %o&prehension an espe%ially by his
own personal effort)
/;
+here is a &o&ent in the %areer of the seeker when he &ay have to fa%e the proble& of
#oining so&e spe%ial organization) 9ere we %an eal only with the general 8uestion
itself) 4or &ost beginners$ asso%iation with su%h an organization &ay be 8uite helpful$
but for &ost inter&eiates it will be less so$ an for all profi%ients it will be efinitely
etri&ental) "ooner or later the seeker will is%over that in a%%epting the avantages of
su%h asso%iation he has also to a%%ept the isavantages$ an that the pri%e of serving its
interests is partnership in its evils) 9e is%overs in ti&e that the institution whi%h was to
help hi& rea%h a %ertain en$ be%o&es itself that en) +hus the true goal is shut out of
sight$ an a false one is substitute for it) 9e %an keep his &e&bership in the
organization only by giving up so&ething of his iniviual wholeness of &in an
personal integrity of %hara%ter) +he organization tens to tyrannize over his thoughts an
%onu%t$ to weaken his power of %orre%t #uge&ent$ an to estroy a fresh$ spontaneous
inner life) 9e will %o&e in ti&e to refuse to take any organization at its own valuation
for he will see that it is not the history behin it but the servi%e it reners that really
&atters)
/=
+heir evotion to the guru$ the %ult$ or the group is$ in ter&s of real spiritual progress$
both a help an a hinran%e) :s a sign$ an insofar as it is a &easure$ of aspiration to
rise towar a superior state of being$ it is a help) But as another bar ae to the %age in
whi%h they live$ shutting out all those who are not %o5followers or %o5&e&bers$ it
in%reases partisanship an wiens pre#ui%e)
2>
+o tie oneself to a se%tarian group an to its ieas is to for& another atta%h&ent for the
ego)
21
!roup e&otion is worke up until it be%o&es a substitute for personal inspiration)
Either through ignoran%e of or inability to pra%tise &eitation$ or both$ the group
&e&bers are happy to share$ an are satisfie with$ a %o&&on e.perien%e on the
shallowest level) But nothing will repla%e iniviual work at self5evelop&ent leaing
to eeper e.perien%e an higher knowlege)
2*
7hen too &u%h is &ae of an organization or institution an too little of the iea behin
it$ the leaers be%o&e tyranni%al an the followers fanati%al) +hat is$ their %hara%ter is
%orrupte)
2,
+wo of the grave an is%ri&inative efe%ts of the -nian &ethos of seeking +ruth are
the turning of &en into !os an the glorifying of i&perfe%t institutions) 7hile it is
possible for the stuent to learn to so&e e.tent fro& these sour%es in the East an also
in the 7est$ he &ust keep in &in the fa%t that they are helpful only to beginners$ an
shoul e.er%ise %aution in #oining any of their organizations) Our present ti&es %all for
firsthan infor&ation$ e.perien%e$ an iniviual proof of the +ruth$ whi%h the Quest
alone offers) -nstitutions an organizations$ on the other han$ offer nothing$ e&an
&u%h$ an a%tually i&pee progress) +here are a very few reee&ing e.%eptions whi%h
#ustify their e.isten%e$ but these are not generally known)
24
+he assertion that spiritual %haos an anar%hy are the alternatives to spiritual
institutionalis& an organization is absur$ for the %ontrai%tory %lai&s an tea%hings of
the various institutions the&selves lea to a %haoti% situation)
2/
Only the uninfor&e %an be e%eive by the outsie appearan%e of unity in these
organize groups) +he struggles an %onfli%ts an fa%tions whi%h really e.ist insie
the& are a better ini%ation of their &oral grae than their tall talk in print or le%ture)
22
+hose who are istrustful of organization for religious purposes fin goo reasons in
history for their attitue) +he re%ors betray its inner failure$ how it really substitutes
one kin of worlliness for another$ how it &erely offers a&bition a ifferent stage to
play on$ or how it repla%es personal self5seeking by the %orporate kin)
23
7hy shoul &any who are unable as iniviuals to lift the&selves in &eitation$
evotion$ or prayer be able to o so as a group' -t is illogi%al to believe that they %an$
auto5suggestive to believe that they o)
2;
+he way of group organization is only a poor substitute for the way of iniviual
inspiration)
2=
- a& 8uite %hary of organizations$ be%ause - have seen too &u%h in the 7est an the
East of the evils whi%h it 8ui%kly brees$ as - a& 8uite uni&presse by %entralization
be%ause - have seen how har it is to erai%ate the illusions to whi%h it leas) -nstea of
organization$ it is better to en%ourage iniviual effort( an instea of %entralization$ it is
wiser to en%ourage iniviual eepening)
3>
+he biggest e%eiver in religio5&ysti%al life is the institutional establish&ent$ the
organizational group) 4or here the followers have the e.perien%e of being nourishe
when in a%tuality only the so%ial nee is being nourishe) 9ere the truth an its virtue$
beauty$ strength$ reality$ an above all its trans%enen%e$ whi%h is totally outsie
orinary worlly e.perien%e$ are i&itate effe%tually an su%%essfully) "o the followers
are satisfie an fall into %o&pla%en%e) +he Quest is eserte an the %opy whi%h is
substitute for it has the avantage of being &u%h easier an pleasanter for all
%on%erne)
31
+he establish&ent of spiritual ashra&s or %o&&unal %olonies is an enterprise of whi%h$
we hope$ we shall never be guilty) "u%h institutions usually fin an enthusiasti%
response fro& persons who like to #oin %ranky %ults$ inulge in enless tea5table talk$
an worship leaers suffering fro& inflate egos) 7e however are working for those
who have unerstoo that it is better to worship !o in solitue than in a publi% hall or
%hur%h an who believe us when we %onstantly repeate that institutions invariably en
as the greatest obstru%tions to the progress of genuine spirituality) +heir &aterial
e.pansion is usually taken as a sign of the e.pansion of spiritual influen%e whereas
a%tually it is a sign of the e.pansion of spiritual rot) Fust as the @eague of Nations
ere%te &agnifi%ent &illion5poun builings as its hea8uarters only a short while prior
to its total %ollapse$ so these institutions flourish e.ternally at the %ost of their internal
life) 7e ask those who have faith in our tea%hing to keep %lear of spiritual organizations)
3*
+he servi%e of an organization or a group asso%iation is that it &ay be able to point out
the way to those who are #ust starting to travel the path) +he isservi%e begins when it
seeks to keep its own power over hi& an &isguies hi& an &isinterprets the truth
uner the sway of su%h selfish infatuation)
3,
Every for& of organization whi%h %lai&s to be of spiritual servi%e is$ the &ore it grows$
in anger of be%o&ing a spiritual oppressor)
34
7e establish institutions to uplift &en) +he institutions turn the&selves by egrees into
veste interests) +he original purpose is then lost an a selfish purpose repla%es it) +he
%onse8uen%e is that &en are both affe%te an infe%te by this &oral eterioration of the
institutions) +hey are no longer helpe to rise$ nor even prevente fro& falling)
3/
-t is unfortunate an regrettable$ but all history bears out the fa%t that a&ong religious
believers an &ysti%al followers$ organization sooner or later leas to e.ploitation) -t is
&ore likely to happen$ of %ourse$ after the prophet$ tea%her$ guru has passe away$ but in
a nu&ber of re%ent %ases it was by no &eans absent even uring his lifeti&e)
32
+here is no hint in Fesus1 wors that he wante &en to for& the&selves into an
organize religion$ to appoint a hierar%hy$ to %reate a liturgy) 7as he hi&self not in
protest against the 9ebrew version of these things' <i not he suffer fro& its tyranny$
an in the en ie by it' 7hy shoul he want to set up a new institution$ whi%h woul
inevitably en in the sa&e way'
33
:s a spiritual organization grows in nu&bers$ it grows also in the potentialities of
internal issension) +he history of &ost organizations %onfir&s this)
3;
+he history of Christianity in Nazi !er&any illustrate the la%k of spiritual vitality
whi%h is the la&entable state of organize religion$ where the institution be%o&es &ore
i&portant than the tea%hing an the worlly strength of the &an5&ae organization is
preserve by the sa%rifi%e of its &oral strength) Philosophy has no roo& for
organizations$ founations$ institutions$ an so on) -ts tea%hers re&ain free)
3=
+he struggle between a high original purpose an low personal a&bition goes on within
the organization)
;>
:ny organize se%t whi%h %lai&s a &onopoly on salvation$ by that very a%t isproves its
%lai&) 4or in the en we are save by !ra%e alone$ whi%h %o&es fro& or through the
Overself within us$ whereas the se%t is a &an5&ae thing outside us)
;1
-t is not ne%essary for those who follow philosophy to enrol &e&bers or hol group
&eetings) +hey nee %olle%t no ues an seek no %onverts)
;*
+he answer to those who efen group work by 8uoting Fesus1 single state&ent$ 67here
two or three are gathere together in &y na&e$ there a& -$ in the &ist of the&$6 is that
it %ontrai%ts his repeate state&ent$ 6+he Gingo& of 9eaven is within you$6 an is
&ore likely to be interpolate than authenti%)
;,
7ithin the e.%lusivity of a se%t his power to think for%efully$ %reatively$ an originally is
lost) 9e is for%e into a narrow area$ eprive of the sti&ulating results of worl5sear%h)
+here is neither the wish nor the will to step outsie the i&pose borers of his own se%t
an &easure other ieas$ test other ieals$ an benefit by other insights) +here is a
patheti% a%%eptan%e of &ental %aptivity)
;4
Every organization whi%h perpetuates og&as ares not a&it new ieas whi%h %orre%t
the error of those og&as$ for su%h ieas woul affront the beliefs of its followersC
;/
:ll too soon an institution be%o&es a restri%te$ or even %lose$ syste&) -ts ieas get
frozen into og&as$ its &e&bers begin to suffer fro& intelle%tual paralysis$ an its
&ethos begin to savour of totalitarianis& or tyranny)
;2
+he &an who is %apture by a parti%ular religion$ se%t$ group$ or organization fre8uently
buils a wall aroun it$ sets up a barrier between hi&self an non5&e&bers$ e.%lues
every approa%h to !o other than his own)
;3
+he inepenent seeker$ who affiliates hi&self with no se%tarian group$ no fanati%
organization$ no narrowing %ult$ avois the tensions an is%ars the pre#ui%es whi%h
su%h affiliation usually brings with it) 4or those who are affiliate$ %onta%t with other
eno&inations %reates the nee of efening the selfish interests an the given og&as
of their own$ either ire%tly or obli8uely by atta%king the others) -n this way the tensions
an pre#ui%es arise an subsist) +hey %annot %o&e to an en until this e.%lusiveness
itself %o&es to an en) 9ow &any evils$ hatres$ fights$ an in#usti%es %o&e fro& itC
9ow &any un#ust &align&ents of %hara%ter oes it lea toC 9ow &u%h blin bigotry
oes it %ause$ a bigotry whi%h refuses to allow$ an is unable to see$ the goo in %ults
other than its ownC
;;
:s soon as they begin to organize a &ove&ent$ the other things begin also to e&erge55
the narrow fanati%is&$ the li&iting se%tarianis&$ the intolerant attitue)
;=
No organize %hur%h likes iniviual revelations to supplant its own authority)
=>
-n all &atters spiritual$ &ysti%al$ an religious$ hu&anity is bewit%he both by the spell
of the past an the prestige of the institution)
=1
+here are several syste&s$ &ethos$ groups$ an organizations$ but of a%%eptable ones
there are only few)
=*
+oo often the %linging to a parti%ular tea%her$ the &e&bership of a parti%ular group$
leas at best to a naBve faith in the self5suffi%ien%y of the tenets avo%ate$ at worst to a
new se%tarianis&)
=,
"e%tarianis&$ zealotry$ an bigotry evelop by stages in the &ins of followers)
=4
+he bigger an organization be%o&es$ the &ore likely are issensions an 8uarrels to
arise within it$ espite all its professions of spe%ial san%tity or pro%la&ations of
brotherly love) +he essential things get graually lost$ the a%%iental are &ae &ore of
an treasure up) +he "pirit is s8ueeze out$ the superfluities brought in)
=/
+o 8uote in #ustifi%ation of group work or %hur%h gatherings Christ1s wors$
67heresoever two or three are gathere together in &y na&e$ there a& - in the &ist of
the&$6 is no #ustifi%ation at all) 4or &ost groups are anything fro& ten to a hunre in
nu&ber$ &ost %hur%h gatherings range fro& twenty to a thousan in nu&ber) Christ i
not say that he woul be present with a ozen$ a s%ore$ two or three hunre$ he
pre%isely state the nu&ber shoul be two or three)
=2
+he belief that any institution or organization is ivine has le to &u%h superstition an
unne%essary strife: the true belief that all su%h things are stri%tly hu&an$ an therefore
fallible$ as history repeately %onfir&s$ woul have save &ankin &u%h suffering)
=3
:ll observation an e.perien%e suggests that when the things of the spirit are brought
into organize for&s$ su%h as so%ieties an se%ts$ the har& one to &e&bers
%ounterbalan%es the goo)
=;
<o not look for any group for&ation %reate by a philosopher$ for you will fin none)
9e is sponsore by no %hur%h$ no se%t$ no %ult$ no organization of any kin$ for he nees
none) 9is %reentials %o&e fro& within$ not fro& any outsie sour%e) 9e re8uires no
one to flatter his personal i&portan%e) -f$ therefore$ you hear of su%h a group be assure
it is a religious or religio5&ysti%al one$ not a philosophi% one)
==
:n outwar organization &ay be useful to those who are still on the religious an
&ysti%al levels but for the purposes of philosophi% avan%e&ent it is unne%essary)
Publi% so%ieties are &ere babels of og&ati% opinion an lea in the en to %onfusion)
+he %orre%t history of &any spiritual organizations is not an eifying one) No for&al
asso%iation or institution is of any real worth here) Every stuent &ust work har on an
for hi&self) Outsie of that he &ay %at%h inspiration an re%eive help fro& an e.pert
guie) +he few who are able to walk together with hi& on this path will %o&e along
with ti&e( the others woul only be a rag) But if he wants to #oin with other really
intereste persons in stuying the books together in an infor&al way$ with no e.ternal
bon$ he &ay try it)
1>>
+he seeker after ?eality will be suspi%ious of professional spirituality$ although the
seeker after religion will be attra%te by it) -t is not ne%essary to avertise inner
attain&ent) @ao +zu pushe the sa&e point to its farthest e.tre&e when he wrote$
6+hose who know o not speak$6 to whi%h we &ay a$ 6or pro%lai& the&selves as
aepts$ for& spiritual so%ieties$ an seek is%iples)6
1>1
Philosophy %an &aintain its non5se%tarian nature only by &aintaining its non5
organizational an non5institutional %hara%ter) :lthough %ertain so%ieties an groups
profess to be non5se%tarian$ their a%tual history shows plainly their inability to sustain
this ieal) 9e who woul be a true philosopher &ust turn to the only sour%e of true
philosophy55the fount within hi&self) +hat is$ he &ust turn inwar$ not outwar to a
group)
1>*
-nstitutions ten to eaen inspirations)
1>,
Of all things +ruth is the freest) "o$ if a &an is to fin it in all its genuineness$ an not in
its istortions$ %ari%atures$ or frag&entation$ not in any substitute for it$ then he &ust
preserve his own freeo& to sear%h for it) But this is #ust what he %annot o so easily if
he #oins a se%t)
1>4
-f any tea%her or organization asks you to swear %ere&oniously that you will not reveal
to others what you are taught$ be sure that you will re%eive inferior o%%ultis&$ not
philosophi% truth) 4or the truth hies itself fro& the unreay: it oes not have to be
hien fro& the&)
1>/
<o not %onfuse the ne%essary se%re%y of philosophi% presentation with the portentous
se%re%y of %harlatani% %ults)
1>2
-t is not ne%essary to %all &eetings or organize so%ieties in orer to propagate truth)
1>3
+here is no %row salvation$ no %o&&unal ree&ption) +he &onasteries an ashra&s$
the organizations an so%ieties$ the institutions an te&ples have their pla%e an use)
But the one is very ele&entary an the other is very li&ite) 7hatever is &ost
worthwhile to$ an in$ a &an &ust %o&e forth fro& his own iniviual eneavour)
"o%iety i&proves only as$ an when$ its &e&bers i&prove) +his is strikingly shown by
the &oral failure of Co&&unist states an by the half5failure of establishe religions)
1>;
0ost institutions an organizations have evelope in ti&e the fault of an ego%entris&
whi%h %auses the& to lose sight of their original higher purpose$ an so they #oin the list
of aitions to so%ieties whi%h have a &i.e selfish an iealisti% %hara%ter)
1>=
+oo &any spiritual organizations e.ist &ainly to serve those who %reate or staff the&)
11>
7hen those who ire%t the affairs of an institution be%o&e &ore %on%erne about the
state of its revenue than about its state of spirituality$ when they are &ore affe%te by its
in%reasing finan%ial returns than about its in%reasing &ateriality$ it is ti&e to pi%k up
one1s hat an sti%k an bi it farewell)
Relation to founder
111
: s%hool shoul e.ist not only to tea%h but also to investigate$ not to for&ulate
pre&aturely a finalize syste& but to re&ain %reative$ to go on testing theories by
applying the& an valiating ieas by e.perien%e)HPI
11*
+he for&ation of a so%iety of seekers &ay have a so%ial value but it has little
instru%tional value$ for it &erely pools their %o&&on ignoran%e) +he #ustifi%ation of a
so%iety eu%ationally is its possession of a %o&petent tea%her55%o&petent be%ause his
instru%tion possesses intelle%tual %larity an his knowlege possesses #ustifiable
%ertitue)
11,
7hy shoul anyone who has %o&e to show &en the interior way pro%ee to elue
the& by pointing out an e.terior one' -n other wors$ if the kingo& of heaven is within
us$ what use will it be to set up an institution without us' +he pri&ary task of a &an sent
fro& !o is not to foun a %hur%h whi%h will keep the& still looking outwar$ an
hen%e in the wrong ire%tion$ but to she invisible gra%e) -f he or his %loser is%iples o
organize su%h a %hur%h$ it is only as a se%onary task an as a %on%ession to hu&an
weakness)
114
Os%ar 7ile gave so&e goo avi%e about su%h &atters when he sai$ 6+he only
s%hools worth fining are s%hools without is%iples)6
11/
+he belief that a fully illu&ine &aster or religious prophet %an be su%%eee
generation after generation by a %hain of e8ually illu&ine leaers following the sa&e
traition$ is elusive) 9e %annot be8ueath the fullness of his attain&ent to anyone$ he
%an only give others an i&petus towar it) 9e hi&self is irrepla%eable) -f %hur%hes an
ashra&s woul only a&it that they are le by faulty fallible &en$ liable to weakness
an error$ they woul rener better spiritual servi%e than by %ontinuing to &aintain the
partial i&posture that they are not so le) -f there were su%h publi% a%knowleg&ent that
their authority an inspiration were very li&ite$ religious an &ysti%al institutions
woul be &ore preo%%upie with helping others than with the&selves)
112
9ow %an any institution$ whether it be the fa&ily or the govern&ent or the %hur%h$ be of
better %hara%ter than the persons who %o&prise it$ an %ertainly those who rule or lea
it'
113
+o e.pe%t a "piritual 0aster to repeat hi&self in the institution$ organization$ or orer
whi%h gathers aroun hi&$ is to e.pe%t what history tells us never happens) "helley$
0i%helangelo$ an Phiias i not foun organizations to prou%e further "helleys$
0i%helangelos$ an Phiiases) New persons &ust arise to e.press their own inspirations)
7hy then foun strangling institutions at all$ why gather followers together into
e.%lusive se%ts$ why %reate still &ore &onasteries an la&aseries$ why &ake leaer5
worship a substitute for "pirit5an5truth worship'
11;
:tta%h&ent to the group surrouning a &aster shes a kin of prestige on the&$ an
gives ea%h one a borrowe light or strength$ whi%h &ay be real or false)
11=
No asso%iation of spiritually &ine persons %an as su%h rise higher than the Personality
who has inspire it$ an in whose superior power an knowlege it has reste its roots)
:s ?alph 7alo E&erson pithily phrases the thought: 6:n institution is the lengthene
shaow of one &an)6 Europe an :&eri%a$ for instan%e$ are otte with groups working
along routes of &ental an se&i5spiritual evelop&ent$ but in every su%h group you will
fin that it raws its real life fro& its 4ouner or fro& its 9ea) +he point in
evelop&ent rea%he by the 9ea &arks the li&itation to whi%h he %an bring his
followers$ an he %an take the& no further)
1*>
-n earlier %enturies$ the illu&ine &an left his spiritual lega%y in the hearts an &ins of
those who ha felt his power$ or been guie by his light$ or known his pea%e) +he
institutions an organizations were usually the %reation of is%iples who live later) But
toay there &ay be a lega%y of printe books$ re%ore tapes$ televise fil&)
1*1
+he founation of every effort to better hu&an life is not an organize &ove&ent but
the &an who inspires it)
The Notebooks are %opyright J 1=;451=;=$ +he Paul Brunton Philosophi% 4ounation)