We have just published a new Podcast Channel, Sloucham. The name comes from the master’s native Bulgarian and means ‘I am listening’.

This first episode features his book, ‘A Philosophy of Universality’. A group of disciples read extracts from the book and discuss some of his ideas on universality and the need for collective co-operation and responsibility.

The transcript of all the readings are beneath the player.

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To view the book for sale in other countries, please visit Prosveta.com

Reading 1

When we glance about us at the world, human society and the family, we see that everything is organized with a view to satisfying human nature, meaning, in reality, our animal nature and all our most primitive instincts. All the rules and norms of society, all our criteria, even the education we give our children, are all designed to serve the prevailing mentality: grabbing the biggest share for ourselves, taking advantage of others, becoming rich, gaining the upper hand. This is why we see so much rivalry and so many conflicts and massacres today.

And yet, when humans were first made in the Lord’s workshops, Cosmic Intelligence planted in them seeds that were destined to grow and blossom into qualities and virtues and sublime acts of abnegation and renunciation. From time to time, it is true, we do see these qualities in a few people. And the way they live and act leaves us in no doubt that a divine nature is manifesting through them. But beings like this are so few and far between that they cannot influence the majority. In fact they often fall prey to the majority who are incapable of appreciating them, and they are persecuted and massacred.

In my talks to you I have often spoken about this all important question of the human being’s twofold nature: the lower, animal nature, which I call the personality, and that higher, divine nature, which is still dormant in each one of us because we have never taken the trouble to awaken it, and which I call the individuality. These two natures are so closely intertwined that it is not always possible to distinguish which one is manifesting at any given moment. Very often, in fact, people will do something in the sincere conviction that they are acting with integrity and honesty, when, in fact, they are following their animal instincts: it is their lower nature that is manifesting. And if anarchy and egotism have become the order of the day, it is because most human beings think it is absolutely normal to obey their lower, animal nature, which demands that they satisfy all its whims at the expense of others, as if it were alone in the world.

 

Reading 2

History shows that men and women realized a very long time ago that it was to their advantage to organize life in social groups; otherwise they would still be spending their days hunting for food in the forests. The day they saw that it was better to unite in order to have many hands and many strong backs to share the load, everyone began to benefit from the new situation. While one was out fishing or hunting, another was weaving cloth, a third was building a hut, and so on. And in this way, each was at the service of all, and all benefited from the work of each. This is how humans advance: they all practise their own limited activity and all the advantages of society are at their disposal: libraries, hospitals, public transport, the protection of a police force, and so on. All that would be impossible if they lived alone. In this way humans have used their intelligence to organize collective life in such a way that they now possess the means to stir up the whole world.

Unfortunately, though, it is our intelligence that is not yet perfect, because it has always been cultivated for selfish purposes. It may seem that human beings have solved the problems of the collectivity, but their solutions are more apparent than real. Outwardly they have formed nations and societies, but they are still inwardly isolated, aggressive and hostile to others. At heart they are still cavemen and women: inwardly, each one lives in isolation in his or her little hole. Outwardly, we see nations and societies whose members support each other, who have their armed forces, social security, family allowances and so on. But people have still not understood the true significance of their material progress. They have still not realized what all these facilities, possibilities and benefits mean, or how they can be transposed onto the inner plane. There is still a great deal of work to be done before human beings reach the same degree of unity and social organization inwardly and spiritually, by working all together for the same goal.

Although they may not always realize it, the different countries still tend to work for separation and isolation. They have various official relations, of course: ministries of foreign affairs, the diplomatic service, organizations for international cooperation and so on, but each country is still determined to remain separate and distinct. Each one wants to be considered a power to be reckoned with and expects to be treated with due respect by other powers. They are not inwardly united at all. So we must continue to promote this inner fraternity. We must continue to work to bring men and women, peoples and nations together so that they may reach the sublime consciousness of unity and live rich lives of inner and outer prosperity and abundance.

Reading 3

Try to imagine that you are a member of an orchestra: you play your own score and, at the same time, the harmony produced by all the other instruments of the orchestra delights and enchants you. Your part is to play only the music written on the score in front of you, but you are also touched by the beauty and harmony that surrounds you. Or take the example of a choir of mixed voices: each one sings just a few notes, and the others bombard them with wonderfully uplifting poetry and harmony!

 

Humanity is like one great orchestra. Each individual represents an instrument – clarinet, cello, trumpet, violin, piano, guitar, and so on. And the divine life which flows in every living creature, breathes into these instruments or touches their strings. Each individual creature produces a specific note, and Cosmic Intelligence has tuned and harmonized all these notes so that they may form the one great symphony of the universe. It is only here on earth that this symphony does not exist, because human beings are guided by their instincts and passions and fail to do what they were created to do, that is, vibrate to the rhythm of universal harmony. They cannot do so because their lower nature still restricts their field of consciousness. But once they have decided to make collectivity or, rather, brotherhood their goal, they will begin to vibrate on the same wavelength as the universe. And this accord will open the floodgates of heaven, and celestial energies will flow freely through the world and sustain humankind with all the most beneficial currents from the cosmos. There is nothing worse than a purely personal life which is out of tune with the collective life of the universe, for it blocks up the channels through which cosmic energies should flow.

 

We must get back to the original harmony created by God. God created human beings so that they could all be in tune with each other like an orchestra. But no one has ever understood what an orchestra or a choir is. Our physical body, when it is in perfect condition, is a choir: all the cells sing together to produce wellbeing, joy and health. When our cells no longer sing in harmony, we feel ill, unbalanced and miserable, and illness takes different forms according to the different kinds of disharmony produced by our organs.

It has never occurred to anyone to interpret the fact that the members of an orchestra are not free to play whatever they please. They have to respect the notes, the tempo and the dynamics indicated in the score, and if they refuse they are fired. Well, believe me: humanity is not a very good orchestra; it produces too many discordant notes! All the members sing at the tops of their voices and play whatever comes into their heads; it is enough to make anyone stop up their ears. Every human being thinks they have the right to sing whatever they like. It is only in initiatic schools that they learn that they must harmonize with others. Before they can harmonize with others, they need to know that harmony is preferable; secondly, they must long for it with all their heart, and finally they must make the necessary efforts and sacrifices to achieve it. And then? And then, there is nothing more to be said: harmony speaks for itself.

Reading 4

If happiness and prosperity have not yet established their kingdom on earth it is because humanity is still divided. Everybody looks after their own interests; they feel no obligation to work for the good of the world; they remain confined to the narrow circle of their own personality. But in these conditions the kingdom of God will never be established on earth. The name of the Universal White Brotherhood implies a different kind of work, with different methods and a different ideal: the ideal of working for the kingdom of God and the happiness of all humankind. Everything is contained in those three words: Universal White Brotherhood. Apparently some people don’t like this name; it upsets them. That’s too bad; they don’t know what they are depriving themselves of.

Reading 5

The ideal of the Universal White Brotherhood is to teach human beings to no longer work exclusively for themselves, but for the whole world. It is difficult, I know; at the moment we are almost alone in this work. But it is precisely when it is difficult that we must show the divine world that we are faithful and true. When great numbers already understand the necessity of this attitude we are trying to promote, we shall have less merit. It is now, when conditions are so difficult, that it is meritorious to become an example. If, one day, heaven allows me to speak to the whole world, I shall say this: ‘Listen, all of you; you who are rich and you who are poor, you who are learned and you who are ignorant: none of you knows where your interest lies, and that is why you cannot break free from all your difficulties. When it is a question of exploiting others, of amusing yourselves or of making war, you are all there, ready to join in. But when it is a question of creating conditions for the whole of humankind to live in happiness, you all disappear. So, this obviously means that you don’t know where your best interests lie. You don’t really want happiness; if you did you would all work together to obtain it.’

Oh, yes. When it is a question of material goods, of money, property and houses, everybody is ready to pull together and devote all their energies to acquiring them. But when it is a question of human happiness, of freedom and personal fulfilment for the whole world, they lose interest. How can you explain this? When human beings understand the one simple matter of their own best interest, all their problems will be solved.

In fact, this is the simplest, clearest thing in the world; it is just that people have never stopped to think about it. They need someone to tell them, ‘If you experience so much unhappiness and have so many difficulties in life, it is because that is what you want. Consciously or unconsciously that is what you are looking for. If you really wanted the opposite, you could have it today!’ I tell you, human beings don’t know where their interest lies. But I do; I know that it lies in Universal  Brotherhood,  because  it is there that they can learn to break out of their strait-jacket and bring all their desires, thoughts, interests and activity to bear on the collectivity, the universal dimension of life.

 

 

Reading 6

If happiness and prosperity have not yet established their kingdom on earth it is because humanity is still divided. Everybody looks after their own interests; they feel no obligation to work for the good of the world; they remain confined to the narrow circle of their own personality. But in these conditions the kingdom of God will never be established on earth. The name of the Universal White Brotherhood implies a different kind of work, with different methods and a different ideal: the ideal of working for the kingdom of God and the happiness of all humankind. Everything is contained in those three words: Universal White Brotherhood. Apparently some people don’t like this name; it upsets them. That’s too bad; they don’t know what they are depriving themselves of.