Part 6 - Earth
The Lived Religion - Book 6 - Earth
Chapter 1
1 In ruach-ual matters, the most important step is that each man should awaken his own soul,
2 a task far more difficult than it may appear, but a task for which Earth is the dedicated instrument,
3 the first objective to attain towards this end is self-taming,
4 just as a horse has to be broken in before it can be of any service, so has the mortal body of man to be tamed and brought under control,
5 to do this requires not only self-discipline, but also the ability to rise above earthly conditions, no easy task,
6 for Earth is a hard taskmaster and a worthy adversary, and the mortal body of man an unruly steed;
7 brothers in belief, there are two roads through life: The road of good and the road of evil,
8 they are not clearly defined roads, and often run side by side and sometimes cross each other,
9 those who travel without a guide, or in darkness, often mistake one road for the other,
10 it is the dark night of wickedness when ignorance covers the Earth,
11 yet though the pillars of Heaven fall and though the great abyss open, the Earth shall not end until its purpose is fulfilled!
12 look in the places of judgment: They are filled with low people, and unclean feet rest upon the footstools,
13 priests grow fat on riches bestowed for the preservation of the body, while those who speak of the preservation of the soul are tormented,
14 men talk of the fleeting delights of life, but who cares for the Eternal life of the ruach?
15 the voice of the people cries out for the blood of the wise, and upon their heads blood shall be!
16 it is a time of sorrow, it is a time of distress, it is a time of tribulation, this is no new thing,
17 for the darkness of ignorance has often preceded the brighter days of ruach-ual awakening,
18 but we who dwell under the shadow of darkness see nought but the sorrows of our times,
19 we are as carrion yet unseen by the vultures, or as a tomb laying open to the despoilers,
20 our doctrine is as a leprosy upon us, for the life of a man who cannot impart his knowledge to another is futile,
21 men live to learn, but also to teach,
22 though some brothers are not well equipped to instruct in earthly matters, and therefore should leave it to another, the caravan moves quicker when each man rides his own camel;
23 dark looks are cast upon those filled with the ancient wisdom,
24 the people's pleasure is with those who seek acclaim in lewdness!
25 then there are those who perform vain deeds of deceit,
26 when they perform some filthy deed, the people say, “This was the custom of our fathers, and our fathers' fathers before them, therefore, it is surely permitted before The One Adonai!”
27 men make plans, they are as nought, they are as words written on the waters, as commands given to the wind,
28 wise is he who knows the Plans of Elohim, for to them the whole Earth conforms.
Chapter 2
1 Men cry out at the tribulations of life, not knowing that by adversity alone can they find their soul,
2 they say, “Why are we beset with trial and tribulation?” for they cannot understand the contest,
3 they say, “Why must we seek and never find?” knowing not that life itself is the search! and at the end man will discover himself!
4 O man, gaze well upon the Earth, behold, is it not by its nature a place of labour? and not a garden of pleasure? or a panderer to your weaknesses?
5 Truth is found in the Kodesh Scriptures of Life, but may be understood by degrees,
6 for who among men receiving the whole would not be overwhelmed and destroyed?
7 in general, men are childlike, give the people deceitful things, and they will rejoice like children,
8 show them amusing things, and they will acclaim their pleasure,
9 the elohims of fear are held in reverence, but The Great Adonai Who banishes fear, they despise!
10 O foolish people! O foolish generation! with dust on my head I mourn your ignorance,
11 with loud lamentations I decry your folly! yet the path you have chosen, you have chosen freely,
12 ease and comfort appear to be your end and purpose!
13 the adonais of deceit have temples of splendour, their priests are well clothed and overfed,
14 but The Great Adonai of Truth has no more than a hidden cavern, His servants are garbed in rags, and their bellies are empty,
15 the elohims of lust and cruelty have storehouses of treasure, but The Elohim of Kindness has not even a field,
16 the people worship els that oppress, and ignore The El Who frees,
17 they give to the elohims that take, and spurn The Elohim Who gives! O misguided generation!
18 O blind and ignorant people, to cherish the stone adons of death! and mock The Adon of Life!
19 O misguided generation, to clasp to its breast the things that inherit decay, and spurn the things that are Eternal!
Chapter 3
1 Things remain unchanged: The good suffer while the wicked prosper!
2 whose fault is this? certainly not El's, this is a man-made state,
3 it was built by strength, and strength must smash it down and rebuild,
4 the good have been too passive, arise from your knees and look the foe in the face!
5 be a man of fortitude and courage, prepared to fight, strike a blow for El and good!
6 there is work to be done in the Garden of Adonai,
7 therefore, cease useless performances and word-wasting discussions, go, pick up the hoe and tackle the task to hand!
8 the reason that there is so little Divine intervention is not that the Divine remains indifferent, but that man has been given all the powers and wisdom necessary to deal with the affairs of Earth,
9 if he fails to make use of them, who then is to blame?
10 the duty and obligation placed upon man relate to his reaching upward towards ruach-uality, and outward towards perfection,
11 if man declines to do this, he must accept the consequences, and can blame none but himself,
12 from the days of the ancients have been heard the lamentations of the woeful and disheartened, as they ask the winds,
13 “Where have we failed? why does the Elohim we pray to remain unresponsive?
14 in this, our generation, goodly men have been robbed of their estates by warlike strangers,
15 their possessions have been sold to provide earthly pleasure for those who revel in things of the Earth,
16 and their wives have even been ravaged by men who have studied the ways of weaponry!”
17 in their dire despair they seek to lay the blame upon Elohim, Who does not strike down the wrongdoers, and seemingly rewards those who are earthly wise,
18 “Wherein have we failed?” this is the echo in the corridors of the ages!
19 they have failed because they have left to Elohim, the things which they, as Elohim's overseers on Earth, should have accomplished!
20 it is men in the mass who permit evil to flourish in their midst,
21 their woeful lamentations ascend to Heaven and call upon the Heavenly Hosts for aid,
22 but better by far would it be were they to call upon their own resolution and fortitude, and fight the good fight! to bring about the rule of right and justice!
23 all that is wrong with the Earth has its genesis in men, and if evil stalks the land, then it follows after the attitudes and acts of men,
24 therefore, it is men who must make recompense for their lack of concern,
25 if a nation establish the way of iniquity, then it is the wrongdoers who will be rewarded with bounty, and this is not Elohim's will but man's,
26 if the people lament and are disenchanted with the way things are, then it is a time for action rather than a time for prayer,
27 pray not for Heavenly help, but for a strong right arm! and righteous wrath and resolution!
28 the way of despair is for weaklings.
Chapter 4
1 Life on Earth is a treasure house of hidden things!
2 with so much mystery and beauty about them, why do hearts of men incline towards sordid things?
3 shalom brings glory and beauty to the soul, yet, can your soul be formed except by suffering?
4 can clay be made beautiful except through scars? can metal be fashioned to form except by fire?
5 we journey towards a light we cannot reach and fall into a pit of darkness, to find the light at the bottom,
6 we gaze on the beauty of the stars and think them high above, when, behold, the light is within our hearts!
7 man is not born to play, but to labour,
8 life is a basket which must be filled with sustenance for the future,
9 the fool fills it with empty, unwholesome things, while the wise man fills it with things of lasting value;
10 man is born to live, but he is also born to die,
11 it is no more natural for him to live than it is for him to die, death is no more difficult than life!
12 the best of today is gone, we console ourselves that better will arise tomorrow,
13 each man will improve, or perish, that is the Torah!
14 forget not that life has but one purpose, one end, and one objective, and that is the awakening of the souls of men!
15 all things on Earth conform to that end,
16 Earth, without its perplexities and problems, its struggle and strife, its inequalities and injustices, would never develop the soul in a manner meet for its destiny,
17 this is the answer to the riddle of ages,
18 if all were right with the Earth, there would be nothing for man to do, as it is, there is sufficient to occupy him throughout his generations,
19 when man himself is perfect, its purpose will be fulfilled, and then Earth, too, will be perfect!
Chapter 5
1 What is life that man should seek to prolong it?
2 is it not a continual avoidance of snares? a struggle against delusion? a series of mishaps? and a pursuit of shadows which retreat from the grasp?
3 it begins with ignorance, continues through strife and worry, and ends in sorrow and pain!
4 it is a day of heat, and death comes as a cool night;
5 life raises some men up and casts others down, not always does it bestow good fortune on the worthy or mete out to the unworthy their just desserts,
6 the reward of the worthy is not here, neither is the punishment of the wicked,
7 Earth raises men up to test them, and likewise, casts them down,
8 the man who discovers a golden treasure is being tested, even as he who is stricken with blindness,
9 each man is tested according to his weaknesses, not according to his strength;
10 every man is born to be tested and tried, sorrow and suffering, problems and tribulations, are meant to be the lot of men, selah;
11 yet they are never his continued lot, and the brighter moments of life far outweigh the darker!
12 man was not given life for the sole purpose of enjoying Earth and its pleasures,
13 Earth is a place man must cultivate and prepare for harvest, and what he produces will be his sustenance when the season is ended!
14 suffering and affliction are unavoidable if man is to develop into the elohim-like being intended!
15 he must grow ruach-ually strong, possessing both courage and compassion, and to do this he cannot be protected from suffering and affliction,
16 can the over-sheltered plant kept indoors withstand either the sun's heat or the windy blast?
17 however, it must be remembered that pain and suffering do not of themselves develop ruach-uality,
18 what is important is the manner in which they are endured, the ruach rising to the challenge, and the courageous conquest!
19 the suffering of each man should be an offering dedicated to the uplifting of mankind!
Chapter 6
1 I can add nothing to the Great Scripts in my keeping, for I am no more than a mere writing instrument,
2 no sublime thoughts arise in my heart, and I, who myself lack the strength of assurance, can scarce presume to impart it to others,
3 I serve as best I can, as a guardian and transmitter of the wisdom from olden times,
4 I labour in secret places, and I hide a secret life within my breast!
5 this is a miserable and misguided age,
6 when corruption stalks the land and the soul of man swims like a fish in an ocean of sin, and wallows like a pig in the mire and mud of lust,
7 it is a time of constant soul danger,
8 in this age of wickedness, neither good works, nor faith, nor ruach-ual wisdom have any value!
9 they who should instruct and guide the people mislead them with deceitful words and hypocritical ways,
10 they have become corrupt of heart, and their eyes are blind to their wrongdoing,
11 their deeds done in the name of righteousness are as the filth which pollutes pure waters,
12 the goodness that may once have bloomed within is withered away, and their ruchot are as shrunken and wrinkled husks!
13 the greed of the great is without bounds, and they oppress the poor beyond endurance,
14 they take away the milch goat of the fatherless and seize the widow's ass for debt,
15 in the Scripts of the Wise, it is said, “As a man sows, so shall he reap,” but I seek vainly for its truth in this age,
16 is this beyond my understanding? yet, I shall pass on undiminished the treasure with which I have been entrusted,
17 let those with greater wisdom make of it what they will, it has proven poor fare for an empty stomach, and a cold covering for the lonely night,
18 yet it has brought its own strange consolation, and I am not without comfort;
19 think of me sometimes, when I am dust, and you are even as I am now,
20 if, in greater wisdom, you have solved the problems that now perplex me, look not upon me with scorn, for I am the child of my age,
21 meagre though my offering be, it extends to the limits of my capacity, more I cannot give.