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A MAHATMA is a personage, who, by special
training and education, has evolved those higher faculties and
has attained that spiritual knowledge, which ordinary humanity
will acquire after passing through numberless series of reincarnations
during the process of cosmic evolution, provided, of course, that
they do not go, in the meanwhile, against the purposes of Nature
and thus bring on their own annihilation. This process of the
self-evolution of the MAHATMA extends over
a number of "incarnations," although, comparatively
speaking, they are very few. Now, what is it that incarnates?
The occult doctrine, so far as it is given out, shows that the
first three principles die more or less with what is called the
physical death. The fourth principle, together with the lower
portions of the fifth, in which reside the animal propensities,
has Kama Loka for its abode, where it suffers the throes
of disintegration in proportion to the intensity of those lower
desires; while it is the higher Manas, the pure man, which
is associated with the sixth and seventh principles, that goes
into Devachan to enjoy there the effects of its good Karma,
and then to be reincarnated as a higher individuality. Now,
an entity, that is passing through the occult training in its
successive births, gradually has less and less (in each incarnation)
of that lower Manas until there arrives a time when its
whole Manas, being of an entirely elevated character, is
centered in the higher individuality, when such a person may be
said to have become a MAHATMA. At the time
of his physical death, all the lower four principles perish without
any suffering, for these are, in fact, to him like a piece of
wearing apparel which he puts on and off at will. The real MAHATMA
is then not his physical body but that higher Manas which
is inseparably linked to the Atma and its vehicle (the
sixth principle)-a union effected by him in a comparatively very
short period by passing through the process of self-evolution
laid down by the Occult Philosophy. When, therefore, people express
a desire to "see a MAHATMA," they
really do not seem to understand what it is they ask for. How
can they, by their physical e yes, hope to see that which transcends
that sight? Is it the body – a mere shell or mask-they crave
or hunt after? And supposing they see the body of a MAHATMA,
how can they know that behind that mask is concealed an exalted
entity? By what standard are they to judge whether the Maya
before them reflects the image of a true MAHATMA
or not? And who will say that the physical is not a Maya? Higher
things can be perceived only by a sense pertaining to those higher
things. And whoever therefore wants to see the real MAHATMA,
must use his intellectual sight. He must so elevate his
Manas that its perception will be clear and all mists created
by Maya must be dispelled. His vision will then be bright
and he will see the MAHATMAS wherever he may
be, for, being merged into the sixth and the seventh principles,
which are ubiquitous and omnipresent, the MAHATMAS
may be said to be everywhere. But, at the same time, just
as we may be standing on a mountain top and have within our sight
the whole plain, and yet not be cognisant of any particular tree
or spot, because from that elevated position all below is nearly
identical, and as our attention may be drawn to something which
may be dissimilar to its surroundings – so in the same manner,
although the whole of humanity is within the mental vision of
the MAHATMAS, they cannot be expected to take
special note of every human being, unless that being by his special
acts draws their particular attention to himself. The highest
interest of humanity, as a whole, is their special concern, for
they have identified themselves with that Universal Soul which
runs through Humanity, and he, who would draw their attention,
must do so through that Soul which pervades everywhere. This perception
of the Manas may be called "faith" which should
not be confounded with blind belief. "Blind faith"
is an expression sometimes used to indicate belief without perception
or understanding; while the true perception of the Manas is
that enlightened belief, which is the real meaning of the word
"faith." This belief should at the same time be accompanied
by knowledge, i.e., experience, for "true knowledge
brings with it faith." Faith is the perception of the
Manas (the fifth principle), while knowledge, in the true
sense of the term, is the capacity of the Intellect, i.e.,
it is spiritual perception. In short, the higher individuality
of man, composed of his higher Manas, the sixth and the
seventh principles, should work as a unity, and then only can
it obtain "divine wisdom," for divine things can be
sensed only by divine faculties. Thus the desire, which should
prompt one to apply for chelaship, is to so far understand
the operations of the Law of Cosmic Evolution as will enable him
to work in harmonious accord with Nature, instead of going against
its purposes through ignorance.
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