Purity and Purification

Wisdom Teachings
Essences of the Teachings

Wisdom is eternal. No man can ever invent wisdom. Those we regard Masters of Wisdom are enlightened beings through whom wisdom is reflected. Wisdom awakens in us depending on our state of purity. When thoughts are pure, light can fall upon the mirror of the mind from above. The purer the instrument, the better the reflection of the light of the soul. When the light radiates through the body, the person is radiating and magnetic. S/he influences their environment without being influenced themselves. All study and exercising of wisdom should lead us to come closer to the planes of light.

Our original beness is light; yet this light is covered with layers of impurity. Thus, the soul cannot function through the body of an ordinary person. Like an accumulation of smut, impurities cover the light, love, and wisdom of the soul. Our daily thoughts, desires, and actions are activities of the inner fire, creating a crematory processes. They produce impurities on the mental, emotional, and physical plane as side products. Just as we clean the things of our daily lives (cars, clothing, dishes, house) we must clean and tend the inner planes on a regular basis so that the light can shine through the Self. Many people are outwardly clean, yet only a few are clean internally. Inner purity is of greater significance than outer purity. A yogi cares about both.

In life, without purity and orientation toward service, we can meditate and study for years, but it won’t help us. Many people get stuck at this point and their lives are contrary to what they talk about. They talk about harmony, while perhaps the husband has separated from his wife and lives in conflict with his acquaintances. This is the danger when one occupies himself with books before having achieved the necessary state of purity. Approximation to wisdom has to be achieved through purity; from there one moves on to true experience. We might know thousands of things from the wisdom, but when we don’t live them we cannot radiate wisdom.

Our intentions should be pure and not colored by the personality. Self-centeredness brings about impurity of intention and disrupts every group work. The ordinary human thinking is that all we do should bring us something in return. The motive of the action is one’s own profit. Actions that come from the soul are directed toward the common well-being and not toward one’s own profit. Ego-centrism and selflessness cannot exist simultaneously. When we do something, we should prove our motives to ensure that we act with pure intentions. In higher spheres, not the result counts, but only how pure the intentions are. Thus, we should direct ourselves more toward what we do than what we wish the result to be. Even if we make a mistake, it is important to maintain inner purity. Oftentimes, envy and jealousy seek in a subtle manner to push the pure motive out of the way. Thoughtlessness and ignorance are helpers in this scenario. The Masters of Wisdom recommend to find out what kinds of thoughts we have through daily introspection.

Our common behavior should be free of careless, despicable, unethical, and inappropriate actions. Carelessness shows itself in lack of trying and empathy. The way we earn a living is also of importance. Is money, for example, obtained through a wrongful, illegitimate behavior toward society, it affects purity and leads to lack of contentment. Meeting the professional responsibility in the right way is crucial for the purity of the income, and thus, for the purity of one’s life.

Impurities, which have settled deep within us, lead us to develop a strange philosophy: “It is just ok the way it is.” Whoever feels comfortable in impurity lives like a soul entrapped in a pig. Many people defend themselves aggressively and think that “attack is the best defense”. From a spiritual point of view, this is one of the most ignorant statements. Such people become indifferent toward good things and good persons; even toward nature. For them, there is no other solution but to go through heavy crises. They must learn the hard way to come back to the letter of the alphabet of life.

Today, purity disappears more and more from life: pure water, pure air, pure foods are hard to find. Also, we are not able to have pure thoughts of devotion anymore; they are hopelessly mixed with emotions and even religious aggression. No doubt do we progress in the sciences or engineering. Yet, in interpersonal relationships we experience a downfall. We are building a society in which purity has become almost impossible. Whoever attempts to stay pure is regarded with suspicion. When their daughters or sons do not have boyfriends or girlfriends, the parents think there is something wrong with them. Even drugs become legalized with the logic that “when drugs are not available, young people are bound to steal. Why make them to dealers? Let’s sell drugs openly.”

Impurities lead to stealing, irregular sexuality, and a desire for things that are unhealthy for the body. What and how we eat shows what energy we carry internally. More important even than what we eat and drink is inner purity. Purity of speech is connected with purity of thought. We cannot have impure thoughts and expect to live in a pure world or to have a divine experience. We must be pure in our thoughts and feelings and also acquire purity in the physical life.

The purer we are, the more we tend to reject impure things and want to have light and radiant things around us. This also relates to our common habits, of eating, clothing, and hairstyle. The cleansing of the physical body implies a clean environment, pure diet, righteous behavior in sexuality, sleeping at the right time, as well as enough sunlight, fresh air, and water. Through water, every impurity on the etheric plane can be cleansed. When we take a shower, our etheric body and the mental plane, where much dirt accumulates, are cleansed. Also, fruits and vegetables which come into contact with business people through marketing, can be cleaned of the commercial vibrations through water.

The purification of the emotional body encompasses constant observing of motives, desires, and emotions; we transform them as we direct our attention toward noble goals. To maintain a pure mental body, purity in motives of all actions is the only requirement.

When the matter of the three bodies is purified, the inner fire can ascend. The ignition of outer fire is a symbol for the ignition of the inner. Since time immemorial, human beings make fire and worship it to burn impurities. We can look into the flame of a candle and imagine how it burns away all impurities of the body on the mental, emotional, and physical plane. When we do this on a regular basis, the fire helps us to overcome out limitations.

Sound is the most powerful way to purify the mental, emotional, and physical planes. Through rhythmic intonation of sacred sounds, light is brought in and the impurities of the mental body are burned. A mantra produces a kind of sacred magnetism. It contains fire which transforms man and purifies the environment. The sound OM helps to dispel evil energies and calls divine energy, even for planetary purification. But before we attempt to purify the planet, we should be pure enough ourselves.

A pure body releases a pleasant odor. The body of a yogi smells good without him using soap or perfume. Bodies that smell bad contain a lot of impurities. Until we are able to send off a natural fragrance, it is recommended to use sandalwood in form of powder or incenses. It dispels impurities in rooms and forms a protective layer around us on the subtle planes. Thus, we can maintain purity better and radiate pure vibrations. The scent of sandalwood makes it also easier for the higher beings to approach us.

Sources: K.P. Kumar: Mithila / On Healing / notes from seminars / E. Krishnamacharya: Book of Rituals. The World Teacher Trust - Dhanishta, Visakhapatnam, India.