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Dear Gail:

That which distinguishes the superior man from the common man is a quality or state called nobility! It is usually an adjective that describes rank and title, but this is wrong in the status I know. It is actually the quality or state of being noble in character and ability; that quality which shows one to be of superior mind, magnanimous and lofty in manner, deed and thought. It has nothing to do with the religious mind, except its faith!

I point out that those who have had the greatest influence upon the human race were people of noble character, regardless of their birth. Buddha led the parade for this stately grace, nobility of birth and character. Most masters, savants and sages develop nobility during their unfolding of the spiritual self. This is one of the qualities which develops in an individual during his sojourn on the path to glory. Courage is the highest quality in the seeker’s nature, for he must have it should he be willing to leave home, friends, wealth, and sometimes a kingdom, to go into the jungle to endure all manner of hardships, suffering, cold and hunger, isolation from all that the world loves, and when he does all of this in pursuit of a spiritual ideal, it means that he is far above the ordinary man. It indicates a genuine nobility that is highly commendable. It is god-like; it represents the cream of nobility and the essence of greatness. When Buddha was a poor, hungry beggar in pursuit of his spiritual objectives, his true nobility stood out far more than it did when he was in the midst of his father’s royal splendors. When Rebazar Tarzs might have commanded any army, so great was his mental energy, walked the dusty streets when in his youth, tired and hungry, in order

that he might carry the spiritual message to the multitudes, his greatness eclipsed all the splendors of this world.

When a man gains such self-mastery that he can do great things for humanity, I must admire his courage. It indicates a greatness of spirit, and a strong power of will. This sort of thing requires a heroism far greater than that which impels a man to sacrifice his life on a battlefield. We should admire his devotion to his ideals, and admire him for showing what a man can do through mental discipline. Buddha expounded nobility in his Four Noble Truths. According to this formula, first, the finite existence is analyzed in terms of suffering or the absence of bliss. Second, suffering is traced causally to its origin, ‘Tanha’ which is thirst, desire, or craving for finite existence, pleasure, and success. Third, cessation of suffering is possible, according to Buddha, only by overcoming the basic craving itself. Fourth, the course to be followed for overcoming suffering is expounded in the Eightfold path.

Buddha’s Eightfold path consisted of: Right views; Right intent; Right speech; Right conduct; Right means of livelihood; Right endeavor; Right mindfulness and Right meditation.

Actually, Buddha didn’t teach a religion, rather, like Christ, much of his philosophy or religious teachings were results of his disciples teaching. In reality, they weren’t the words of Buddha. Buddha attempted to teach every man to live nobly; so did Zoroaster, Lao Tzu, and others.

Mohammed did the same in his five pillars of faith. They are:

1. The profession of faith; 2. Prayer; 3. Almsgiving; 4.

Fasting and 5. Pilgrimage to Mecca.

The five virtues as taught by the VARDAN Master are:

(1) Chastity, continence; (2) Forgiveness, tolerance; (3) Discrimination; (4) Unattachment and (5) Humility. These give you real strength and liberty. However, there is another

which will make you a leader among people, and certainly will win a place in the immortal life—that is Courage—for courage with discrimination and conviction will certainly give one a name to be remembered.

We have had many Gods, heroes and noble people to walk the earth. Thousands of these have gone down in our history, in legend and fact. I could name thousands but here are the names of a few: Hercules, Ajax, Hector, Paris, Napoleon, Washington, Lincoln, Wellington, Bismarck, and so forth.

They had one common quality—COURAGE—but in some cases their ideal was not of the highest. Conviction, they had also, but it was a humanistic goal—and of the group named only Washington and Lincoln are the human heroes who tried to solve the problem of the common man. Bismarck worked for a greater country at the expense of other nations, however these examples are listed to show the factors of Courage and Conviction which gave these people a high degree of nobility! On the other hand, look at those who sought the highest ideal—Lao Tzu; Jesus; Zoroaster; Tulsi Das; Rumi; Akeon; Shankcharaya; Kabir; Sudar Singh;

Yaubl Sacabi and other VARDAN Masters who have walked the Earth. These sought the spiritual ideal or highest ideal—

and became a channel for the VARDAN to work on this earth.

The result of such seeking is the greatest nobility in a seeker. This seeking keeps him from those five deadly passions of the mind—which are: lust, anger, greed, attachment, and vanity. The greatest of these is doubtless, Vanity—it is an overgrown ego, a malignant enlargement of the ‘I.’ It exhibits itself through: Bigotry, self-assertiveness to the extent of harming others, making obtrusive show of wealth and power, gaudy dress, domineering attitude, bossy, scolding and faultfinding. It is a companion quality of anger.

Anger destroys peace, neutralizes love, engenders hatred and

turns individuals into enemies. It tears down, destroys, weakens, and annihilates every fine quality of mind and soul.

It burns all that is noble in the individual—and it is for this reason that the Great Ones are never angry. It is the useful servant of the negative power, and so long as it dominates the mind, it is impossible for that individual to make any headway on the spiritual path.

The qualities of Nobility are: patience, good will, kindness, courage, love, right knowledge, gentleness, frankness, truthfulness and dozens of similar qualities.

Lincoln can be mentioned as a representative example of true and noble qualities developed in a man from humble birth;

the other extreme, might be Washington’s birth in a wealthy family. In both cases, they possessed three great and noble virtues: 1. Courage; 2. Conviction; 3. Truthfulness. All of the foregoing sounds rather squarish for these times in which we live, but they have always been the virtues of the heroes and gods who lived among men.

If you have never read the stories about St. Francis, be sure to do so. He was a living example of these noble virtues.

His gentleness and love for all even brought the birds to gather around and listen to his sermons. He was indeed a wonderful example of nobility in a man.

Another example is that of Sudar Singh the great VARDAN adept. The VARDAN Masters offer countless examples.

I suppose that an outstanding virtue of the noble is: to be interested in the welfare of all, yet remain the individual. But once the individual seeks his spiritual ideal, and attains any degree worth mentioning, it takes over and rules with an iron hand. There’s no escape.

More later. Sincerely, Paul

36. Peace of Mind, Religious Proselytizing