LEVELS OF PERFECTION

 

 

'Think of man's spiritual development as climbing up the stairs.  At his birthday he is at step 0.  Depending on his subsequent development he rises up or goes down the ladder.  When as a child he is drawn to pleasures, pilfering, self-abuse as to sex and drugs, hunger for material comforts, etc. then his level of development degenerates and he goes down the ladder of perfection down to the basement.  But if he becomes righteous, studious, obedient, possessed with right thoughts, words, and deeds, he goes up the ladder of perfection.  When he rises up, his prayers are more powerful.  They are registered in heaven, not in whispers but with a loudspeaker.   As he rids himself of the intense urge for material things, he rises up the ladder.  Tests come along the way.  If he passes them he is promoted to the next step.  If not, he is demoted.

 

Temptation is a necessity for perfection.  For how can one strengthen his will power if there is no temptation?  How can one pass an exam if he does not take it?  Even Jesus Christ had to pass several tests.  In the Lord's Prayer, one asks God the Father to "lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil."  He is in effect asking Him to give the test when He thinks he is ready to pass it and not to give it when he is still weak.  Prayers have a way of strengthening man for he is drawing graces or pranic energy from the heavens above.

 

Extra human powers demand extra spiritual development.  If this is not observed, it will lead the individual to the ill use of the powers which, instead of advancing him in the ladder of perfection, will cause his spiritual deterioration.  So God will not allow extra powers if a person has not reached a certain level of perfection.  If ordinary man is at level 14, the fellow who has attained level 16 is comparable to the level of a spirit washed of sin.

 

What is this level?  At this level, the person is in full control of himself.  He does not flare up.  He looks at a beautiful girl and no carnal thought excites him.  He is offered riches, illegal easy money, but he refuses.   He is not attracted to power --- be it political or organizational.  He might occupy position of authority but more out of a sense of responsibility rather than for the honor of the position.  This individual enjoying higher perfection is not envious of the good fortune befalling his neighbor.  If ever good fortune falls on his lap, he is not overwhelmed.  He thanks the Lord.  At every moment of his waking hours, he is aware of God's existence.   The search for material uplift is not his primary goal but just a necessary step to attain his major aim in life ---  spiritual perfection.

 

One's material position in life is an indication of one's level of perfection. Although into each life some rain must fall, sunshine comes afterwards.  It brings graces.  To the person aware of the opportunities intended for him from above, he can avail of the opportunity.  Opportunity knocks but once.  So the resourceful grabs the chance and advances materially.

 

Material advancement should be the start of spiritual development.  For advancing materially on one's own effort requires the mastery of will power.  No person can be promoted in his job if he is inefficient.  Inefficiency shows lack of self-mastery.  Even in business, a self-employed person will not succeed if he has not mastered time management and control of cash flow.  If he is weak and succumbs to temptation of the world like gambling (easy riches), chicks or Earthly pleasure, the end result would be cash outflow stripping cash inflow.  Pretty soon his business would go bankrupt.

 

On the other hand, if he is possessed of strong will power, he will be able to direct the  course of his business along the rough shores and reach his destination  --- financial stability.  Once there, he should start climbing the mountain of spiritual development and not to embark again into the rough seas looking for fresh worlds to conquer, or to search for hidden treasures somewhere, lest he run out of time and fail to even attempt climbing the hill of perfection.  Extra powers need extra levels of perfection.  Can you get a college degree if you have not passed high school?

 

What are these extra powers?  One is the ability to heal.  Another is to see with the third eye --- clairvoyance.  The rest are: freedom from material wants and obligations, freedom from gravity (levitation), freedom from constraints of Earth's space and time (instant travel, urong-sulong, and immortality).

 

To attain these, one should have strong will power.  Concentration is one aspect of Will Power. Determination is another.  Persistence prevents us from giving up. With the three: concentration, determination, and persistence, no job will be impossible to attain, no trial impossible to hurdle.  If one has full concentration and the determination to resist, he will surely pass the test on right thoughts, words, and deeds.  If he fails, then he repeats with stronger drive.  This is persistence.  Eventually, the power will be attained as the persistence will enhance his will power thus enabling him to increase his level of perfection.

 

One's level of perfection is influenced by one's past life.  Examine yourself and pinpoint the areas where you are weakest.  It might be love for good food, drinks, money, sex, honor, or power. You will notice that compulsions are not the same for all.  And when you look at your neighbors, most likely theirs are different from yours.  Look al your friends.  You have common urges.  The present urges you have with you are the things you have failed to overcome in your previous lives.  Now, it is the time to conquer them, to be master of yourself so as to attain a higher level of perfection.

 

These urges can be overcome not only with one's will power but also with Intelligence and Love.  For example, the sex urge can be channeled to the quest for knowledge or for creativity.  This sex urge is libido or creative energy that if one directs it to the search for truth it will enhance one's Intelligence.  This love for carnal pleasure can also be redirected to Love for one's fellowmen, channeling this tremendous sex energy to apostolic work, urging one's neighbor to repent, read the Bible, pray, and embark on a path of self-control and material and spiritual perfection.  Love for food can be easily overcome through fasting.  So with sex.  In a way, the body system has a way of forgetting.

 

In. summary, therefore, the level of urges of an individual pertains to the things one failed to solve in previous lives.

 

When one overcomes them on Earth, he attains a higher level of perfection because he has detached himself from the pull of material things.  At a higher level of perfection, he is entitled to powers not accessible to ordinary human beings, powers which Jesus Christ as man attained while on Earth.  These are the powers to heal, to multiply bread (that is, to provide material satisfaction through the multiplier effect), to levitate, to astral travel, instant travel, to bring his material body to the heavens.  These are powers man can attain because Jesus attained them as a man.  But getting these powers requires certain levels of perfection.   One must be detached from material things like love for riches, honor, sex, etc.  One has to travel on the path of right thoughts, words, and deeds with no selfishness in his heart.  Just love.

 

Thus, for every level of perfection there correspond the powers or attributes for that level.  For those powers acquired without the corresponding spiritual level of development are illegal.  These illegal powers must be returned to elevate one spiritually.   When powers are granted but the petitioner has not attained the necessary perfection, they are withheld until the level is reached.  That is why the left gross spirits have to surrender the three powers illegally acquired by them for them to be able to participate in spiritual evolution.