You’ve no doubt heard of Lao-tzu, the Chinese philosopher of the sixth century BC.
The spiritual hierarchy had assigned a mission to him: to take news of the Tao, ECK (Holy Spirit), to people. He’d gone a long way in his spiritual unfoldment, having traveled into the first of the true spiritual worlds. He gladly came to earth at the bequest of the spiritual hierarchy.
Lao-tzu, born in the northwestern part of China, lived at the same time as Confucius, whom practically everyone seems to have heard of. But their missions were vastly different.
Confucius was younger than Lao-tzu, and his mission from the Lords of Karma was to urge the Chinese toward a finer code of conduct. And so he did.
Lao-tzu, as already stated, was to teach people about the Tao, the Life Stream of God. Yet the nearest he could describe It to them was to call It the Way. However, the outcome wasn’t to his liking at all, because his audience was of quite a low state of consciousness. The spiritual wisdom didn’t stick; he’d expected more.
It was then that he nearly failed in his mission. He had planned to wander off into the desert and there die.
Lao-tzu thus threw in the towel, wanting to quit.
Fortunately, the ECK intervened. As he was making his way from the area, the ECK inspired a lowly gatekeeper to prevail upon him to stay and set his teachings into writing. Due to the gatekeeper, this world is a far richer place today. So Lao-tzu didn’t fail; he got people to see in a new dimension. For example, one little verse of his teaches them to look for what’s not there and yet is very much taken for granted by all.
In that way, this simple but profound verse was a means of telling them to be aware of the Tao and how It will manifest aspects of Itself every single day.
Thirty spokes share the wheel’s hub;
It is the center hole that makes it useful.
Shape clay into a vessel;
It is the space within that makes it useful.
Cut doors and windows for a room;
It is the holes which make it useful.
Therefore profit comes from what is there;
Usefulness from what is not there.
—Lao-tzu, Tao-te Ching
(Translated by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English)
So how does Lao-tzu’s story relate to you? The low consciousness you sometimes meet in your service as an ECK leader could lead you to despair too. Just remember, though, the Mᴀʜᴀɴᴛᴀ, the Inner Master, is giving you a chance to expand your state of consciousness when you deal with the resulting problems. So take heart.
It is a rare privilege to serve as an ECK leader. The Mᴀʜᴀɴᴛᴀ has chosen you for a very good reason.
—Sri Harold Klemp
Try the simple technique of seeing in a new dimension when a problem arises. Say to yourself, “I am expanding my state of consciousness.” Then listen for the help that is already given, as you seek out your next step.
“Just remember, though, the MAHANTA, the Inner Master, is giving you a chance to expand your state of consciousness when you deal with the resulting problems. So take heart. “
Sri Harold Klemp.
A high school girl was given a homework to subtract 700 from 800.
The small girl worked on this seemingly simple maths problem for a long time.
At the end, she told her father that the answer is 900.
Her stunned father immediately spiraled into an emotional breakdown.
He ran out of their home and collapsed in the street.
He stayed in the street and refused to go back home.
This man continued to panic because he was scared of the possibility that his daughter might be intellectually challenged.
Finally, a professional family advocate rationalized with him and convinced him to go home.
Some of the most intelligent people including Albert Einstein, Muhammad Ali and Winston Churchill were once portrayed as intellectually deficient while in high school. They overcame these problems and became great in society.
In the Shariyat KI Sugmad page 47, it is stated that, “The human consciousness is prey to
autointoxication, for the Kal floods the consciousness of man with various poisons bred by various states of mind and emotion.”
Thank you Mahanta for the above inspiring article.
What a great reminder this is! I am encouraged to look at life in this small, conservative town from a new perspective.
Thank you Mahanta for this article. It is a wake-up call to me not to take any responsibility given to me in any area of service in ECk to be insignificant and feel inadequate to deliver. Before any assignment is given to you as an ECK leader, the ECK has already train you in advance. So be bold and accept the gift.
I am happy to serve at any capacity of service in ECK because the ECK chooses whoever is open hearted to serve . Thank you.
Lao-Tzu’s verse above relates to the outer teachings of Eckankar as a vessel that carries the inner message of Infinite Love from the Divine SUGMAD. The outer works of ECK, the writings of the Living ECK Master, and the guidelines , expressions of the Divine Love, indicate the vast and indescribable realms beyond the senses and human mind. The key the MAHANTA gives us is contained in the spiritual exercise of ECK. Upon contacting the Living Waters of ECK, the Audible Lifestream and beyond, Soul carriers forth this Divine Blessing into the outer worlds and to those souls contacted in each situation in our daily lives. Thank you Mahanta, for the Many Blessings of these Teachings and the opportunities to be of service in whatever situation we find ourselves.
I was very touched to read this article of Sri Harold’s, as I received an inner nudge a few months ago to purchase a new copy of Tao-Te Ching by Lao-Tzu. My original copy had been lost due to several moves over the years. About forty years ago I toured all over China as a member of an orchestra – it was part of a cultural exchange initiative. A young Chinese woman had been assigned to be our official interpreter and guide over the entire two week period. I immediately felt a connection with this young woman of about my age at the time. As I was an ECKist, I followed an inner prompting to start up a conversation with a more spiritual leaning. I asked, ‘Do you know the writings of Lao-Tzu?’. No response. ‘Lao-Tzu’ I insisted, ‘You know…he wrote TaoTe Ching, it’s one of my favourite books!’. My new friend looked anxiously around as if the walls had ears and replied, ‘No, no…!’. I quickly said, ‘Oh, alright, I understand…’ and the topic was never mentioned again. After our wonderful stay in China, the time came to say goodbye. The young interpreter and I exchanged hugs and tears at the airport. Now, after almost forty years have passed, we have never seen each other or communicated again – and yet our connection of the heart still remains to this day. Thank you, Mahanta, for this reminder, and confirmation, that the spiritual hierarchy assigns us each a mission in this lifetime, which we do fulfil, in our own small way, in the fullness of time.
Thank you, Sri Harold for this reminder of what it is to be an ECK leader, even to those of us who don’t know we’re leaders until we read your last line: “The Mahanta has chosen you for a very good reason.”
This story brought to mind my introduction to Lau Tsu while a second-year university student. I was new to ECK at the time and was not aware that Lau Tsu had actually been on an ECK mission when he made his writings. All the same, I found his wisdom compelling, because it seemed to echo the things I was learning as a new chela in ECK. It made enough of an impression on me that I wrote a philosophy paper comparing the writings of Confucious and Lau Tsu.
That was many years ago. I wish I’d kept that paper.
Thank you for this, this is just what I needed to read this morning, it put me back on track.
I was feeling a bit down about a situation, I had lost inspiration as to what I could do.
I got a nudge to go to this blog to read others experiences.
I opened up to this story and knew it was exactly what I needed to read!
I knew Mahanta was helping me to expand in consciousness. To look at what strengths I had already in place to deal with challenges, but in this moment I had forgotten.
I will take the words of Lao-tzu to heart and contemplate them today.
It is a rare privilege to serve as an ECK leader. The Mahanta has chosen you for a very good reason.
It was good to be reminded of this.
After reading this I suddenly remembered all that I had been through to purify me as soul. The things I needed to let go of and what I had learn’t to be the very best ECK leader I can be.