Theo. – I have heard much talk about positive thought as a means to attract and obtain everything we can desire in our lives. Do you see in it any link with Positive Psychology?
The Elder – Let us start with Positive Thought. The human beings have diverted the law of attraction. Attraction was related to Love. Everything is possible with Love, but Love cannot be ordered. The strength of Love goes wherever it must go, and not where someone wants it to go. We open spaces in order to welcome Love. Love may or may not come. But no one will ever manipulate it. We have already said a lot about it (Love and Meditation).
Theo. – Then how do some people manage to get what they want?
The Elder – That is because they use the strength of thought, which is a very powerful energy. It is linked to creative power and will.
Theo. – And what about positive thought?
The Elder – It s more powerful still, as it can brush away all the obstacles the individual is confronted with, so that he or she may attain the fixed goal (cf. Prayer, and particularly Sankalpa Prayer). The question is: What do we want to achieve during our lifetime down here?
Theo. (jokingly):
– We want to achieve the Ultimate, of course. But I also have a few ancillary objectives in order to brighten up my life, I mean my daily life…
The Elder (smiling):
– I too know about life, you see. I am a grand-father, with quite a family.
The problem arises when that law of attraction is used for material or selfish reasons. The Atlantean errors illustrate the point and they are a lesson for all humankind. What are we looking for? But also, what shall we really get and what will the consequences be? Is it for our own sakes? And what is good for us?
Theo. – What you are saying now makes me think of the pact made between Faust and Mephistopheles.
The Elder – Yes, but in the end, Faust is the one who won. He overcame his inner monster, but his case is a very rare one. Many incarnations are necessary before you can see the end of such a hellish cycle. A spiritual lesson may require many incarnations for the soul to understand. I know the story of a soul for whom overcoming anger and violence took about four thousand years.
Theo. – I still feel uncomfortable with the freewill issue and our total freedom, regarding God.
The Elder – This is the law of Love. Love puts no restraint. It is there, permanently, and it is always available so far as we keep our hearts open.
Theo. – Purified hearts?
The Elder – Yes! A purified heart will attract love and light.
To that end, we have to go beyond the Heart Region – the one for manifestation – and our tendencies relating to the five elements must have been cleaned. Otherwise, they could take us astray during our quest. For instance, people tend to think that being rich will give them access to happiness.
Theo. – Which seems plausible!
The Elder – It is. And some of them may even get what they want and become rich. But happiness and peace can’t be bought. They are states to be conquered inwardly, before they can manifest in our daily lives. Wellbeing is, first of all, an inner state.
Theo. – Money might not buy happiness, but it sure is nice to have.
The Elder – It sure is, but after having studied thousands of individual cases for twenty-five years, researchers have drawn the conclusion that: ‘Unless we can’t satisfy our basic needs, money won’t buy us much happiness. Material comfort is not a key factor… Our study shows that a sudden and substantial money inflow will certainly increase happiness and give great joy, but it won’t last long. Conversely, pleasure derived from small things will then decrease.’ That’s interesting, isn’t it?
Theo. – So, satisfying our desires won’t necessarily help us thrive!
The Elder – It all depends on your being in tune with your self and your destiny. That is the reason why Esotericism associates Love with wisdom.
Theo. – Under our heart’s guidance…
The Elder – As usual…
Theo. – A happy emotional development certainly plays its part as well! Having a partner and a family life will play a key role here. How should we use positive thought in that context?
The Elder – Researches showed that thinking positively was not sufficient, and that maintaining a quality link with one’s partner requires significant efforts and positive acts.
Theo. – OK, but in practical terms, what should we do?
The Elder – Every day, for instance, tell your partner three times more positive things than negative ones. After years of marriage, we usually talk more about whatever doesn’t work than about what does work properly. All the good things going on appear to be normal. Discussions only turn to what is negative, while positive things are confined in the shadows.
Theo. – Now I can better understand what links positive thoughts and happiness.
The Elder – The same researches also showed that losing weight, earning money or even being married cannot bring complete happiness. The satisfaction they grant us is only partial. Contrarily, we have observed that the victims of accidents or severe illnesses seem to be happy of having had access to another dimension of their own selves. It made them get nearer to their other family members and see what is important in life. The fact of having to face essential vital issues made them look for answers within themselves and the experience changed them considerably.
Theo. – Then what room is left for pleasure in our lives?
The Elder – In spirituality, we know that searching for pleasure attracts its opposite, i.e. suffering.
Theo. – And what does Positive Psychology say?
The Elder – It says that pleasure lessens over the years, whereas looking for satisfaction leads to having more and more desires to be satisfied. It is a vicious circle. The number of desires to be satisfied seems to keep increasing.
Theo. – That definition makes me think of addiction and its constant but never satisfied need for dopamine. It’s good to see that, but what positive conclusions should I draw from it?
The Elder – Let us consider happiness as a sort of dynamic, with its ups and downs, and as a state of mind, rather than as a purpose. What really matters is the way you act rather that the results you obtain.
Theo. – That sounds like an aphorism Lord Krishna would have stated in the Bhagavad Gita.
The Elder – It is a question of octaves, in universal laws: we resonate into some harmonic overtones the Primary Word has set out. Every plane has its own specific note, which can vibrate and produce a divine music.
Theo. – Could you please explain it in more concrete terms?
The Elder – Let’s take the example of gratitude, or being aware of the boons of life, which is one of its key factors.
Theo. – Is it a state of mind?
The Elder – It is also a way to behave; it creates happiness and joy in and around us, spontaneously. The first experience I had of it was with Babuji. My wife and I had just spent three weeks in his company. We had walked the three kilometers from his house to the ashram, where we were staying, and our one and unique idea was to thank him for all that he had given us, spiritually speaking. (We were leaving Shahjahanpur by train in the evening to go to Dehli). He was very happy to see us, as if he was meeting us for the first time. He asked me, “Do you want to meditate?” “Not necessarily”, I said naively. “We had plentiful already. You’ve given us so much! We just wanted to come and thank you…” Babuji said, “Just sit down then”.
Theo. – And what happened?
The Elder – I was offered the meditation that changed the course of my spiritual life. It was a revelation. I discovered something I did not know but that I instantly recognized: sublime Love.
Theo was rather impressed by that friend and mentor of his who could talk about nothing but love. He insisted:
– How do you relate gratitude with Love?
The Elder – I felt so much gratitude, and I was so totally oriented towards him that, for the first time in my life, I was no longer there. So far, he had given me all that I wanted in the domain of spirituality, and on that very special day, he could at last give me what he wanted.
Theo. – Somehow, you had allowed him.
The Elder – In a way, yes, I had. Gratitude was for me a way to forget my self and act positively.
Theo. – You must have created a vacuum.
The Elder – It created itself, or with His help, and then Grace could flow.
Theo. – You unconsciously cooperated!
The Elder (smiling):
– My heart must have known. I guess that heart was Babuji’s accomplice. You see, our attention goes where we direct it and gets energy from there.
Theo. – And since that day, your one and only purpose is Love, and Love again!
The Elder -And again… I have not yet recovered from that fabulous meditation I’m afraid!
Theo. – And your gratitude is as pure and active as ever, is it?
The Elder – The same as it was on that first day; it made me touch the Infinite.
Doesn’t positive psychology say: “Gratitude benefits the one who feels it as well as the one who receives it.” As for me, I ‘d rather thank than ask in the way those who use the law of attraction do.
Theo. – Your motto is more like: “Thy will be done”, then.
The Elder – That’s right!
Theo. – We have talked about gratitude as a key to happiness. But what do you think of generosity? Isn’t it oriented towards other people, too?
The Elder – In the same study as the one I’ve already mentioned, researchers’ conclusion was: “He who contributes most towards the common good benefits greatly from it.” And that is so true! Give, serve, and do not expect any reward. Such actions are themselves a reward. How could we keep for ourselves what we have been so generously offered? Positive psychology has for a saying: “Give and be happy”. We could also just say: “Give and be!”
Theo. – I have heard new heartfulness meditators say, “If you don’t discover humanity when you meditate on the heart, it means you have not gone deep enough into your heart.”
The Elder – That’s Love, you see! The more you let it be, the more it overwhelms you. Love is to be given. You can’t possibly keep it for yourself.
Theo. – In the seventies, Babuji started and primed the love pump in you, a pump that has never lost its prime since then.
The Elder – Love is His. It does not depend on our selves. That is the secret. I had always been poor in terms of love; so, I could not choose. The only thing left for me was that Infinite love of Babuji’s.
Theo. – How can we attain such love?
The Elder – The best way is to avoid being present, as much as we can; and to make room for Him.
Theo. – Who do you mean by Him?
The Elder – Him! The Divine! The Omnipresent!
Theo – If he is omnipresent, wasn’t he already present within your heart?
The Elder – Babuji just opened the door and let it free. He was the key.
Theo. – Now I can better understand the meaning of the saying: “God lies hidden at the bottom of men’s hearts and the Guru has been entrusted with the key.”
Did that occur in one entire shake up?
The Elder – Certainly not! It took me about a year to feel again that very same vibration. My heart was pining for it. I was really puzzled. I had never considered I could be emotional or be a devotee. What was happening to me? Hadn’t I decided to follow the path of knowledge a long time ago? But there, you see, Love had caught me up, that’s all!
Theo. – Did you face any resistance?
The Elder – I could not resist there. It was not included in my abilities. I did not govern my heart. It just took over.
Theo. – And after that?
The Elder – A slow and inexorable transformation took place, with the kind help of Helen, Babuji’s longstanding accomplice, and thanks to Parthasarathi, who was in charge of my spiritual education. The latter used to say, “Babuji is the Master of Love, and I master the ego”, and he showed me he could. Once, as we were at the ashram in Satkhol, in the Himalayas, my guide asked me: “Whatever can you be talking about, you and Helen, on every Thursdays?” I answered: “We talk about Love, only about Love”. He kept silent and then he definitely helped me cross over into another dimension, the dimension of the Ultimate Love.
Theo. – And there, was it the end?
The Elder – No! It was only the beginning.
Theo. – Now, was it the end or the beginning?
The Elder – Love has no end, no beginning, no climax, no apex, no bottom, no minor, no better, no interior and no exterior… There is just …
Theo. – Love!
Theophile the Elder
An excerpt from Dialogs with Theophile the Elder
Theophile the Younger’s initiation