by Manly P. Hall

A MASTER IS ONE WHO EXCELS IN THE SCIENCE OF BEING

The Philosophy Of Mastery

Wherever there is an art or science developed there are a certain number who excel in it through concentrating their efforts and focalizing their energies upon it. There are master craftsmen in every work in the concrete world. Having served long apprenticeship, their experience has given them a fine touch, a certain something undefinable yet ever present in those who are familiar with and in harmony with the labors they perform. Many people spend thousands of dollars and travel great distances over land and sea to study at the feet of a master craftsman. There are but few master artists, master musicians or true philosophers in the world at any one time and we respect and reverence these shining lights who stand before the world as the acme of human excellence. It matters little the line of the undertaking for there is as much science and art in driving a rivet as there is in painting a masterpiece. There is something in the soul of man that seeks perfection and the adjustment of human endeavor with cosmic possibility.

If these things be true in material living, as we see it is, then why is it not also true in spiritual matters? Are there not apprentices in the school of life as well as in shipyards and in shops? Are there not master craftsmen in spiritual things as there are among builders of bridges and hewers of stone? Are not the three grand divisions of human craftsmanship equally applicable to the sciences of the soul as to the sciences of wood and stone? There is no reason under the sun why they should not be and the true student of the science of being realizes that the analogy between human life and the divine plan is perfect.

So as the student of music crosses the ocean to study with one whose fingers have brought strings of steel to life, the pupil of things occult, in spirit or in body, crosses the ocean of ignorance to study at the feet of the Masters of Wisdom whose fingers bring not only strings of steel to life but play celestial melodies upon the strings of the human soul. If we would be a master of men, we must learn from the Masters of Men; if we would be masters of life and its problems, we must learn from those who have lived it to the end; if we would excel in the science of the soul, we must learn it from the Master Craftsmen who are slowly molding the dark abyss of chaos into the glorious garden of the Lord.

The Attainment of Mastery

Knowledge comes only to those who prepare themselves to receive it for the Lord will only enter the temple that is prepared as He has directed it. The price of knowledge is responsibility and those unwilling to shoulder burdens must not seek illumination. Upon the realization of this truth rests the great steps of spiritual knowledge. The powers that the student receives are only loaned to him; he is accountable to a Greater for them and unless each is applied to its fullness the student fails in his task. The veil of the unknown must remain forever before the gates of the temple until with the sword of his own spirit fire the student can rend it.

The Masters of Wisdom

The Masters are not super-physical beings but are Craftsmen from the world of men who have reached the goal we are all seeking. They have lived the life and learned to know the doctrine. They have devoted their egoic evolution to the perfection of certain qualities and powers and therefore stand head and shoulders above the average individual. Compared to men, they are gods but compared to God they are only a step above men. In their varying degrees they are just as human as we are but they are old in experience which is the measurement of age. We call them the Elder Brothers. Each one of us may be what they are for they have all been what we are. They are made from no better mold or finer stamp but are diamonds polished through ages of conscious development.

In order to help the races who wander still in darkness, those who have seen the Great Light return age after age to labor with man and help him to attain to that great ideal which glorifies the “entire”. Each of the Masters is on a different path but each is laboring for the good of all. Regardless of color, race or caste, they strive for a single end. Like loving parents they come to point the way and ease the path for their younger brethren. The only way that those below can learn of the Divine is for one of their own people who has gone before to return and tell of the way. The divine compassion of the gods, pouring through the hearts of those who have attained, sends them back into the battle to rescue others who have fallen by the wayside. The one who goes forward for himself alone goes nowhere, but those who would assist the weaker gain all.

The Masters of Wisdom ask no worship from man, no veneration, but their hearts are overjoyed when we will just listen to the words they have to say. Man’s duty is to respect them but not to make idols of them. They ask nothing of us but it is our privilege to cooperate with them for the advancement of all. Man has the privilege of offering himself to those Masters that the work of salvation may go on. When he makes this living sacrifice he takes the first step towards his own mastership. Many offer themselves but few are accepted for it is only those who are useful and intelligent in their daily living who are of value in the plan.

The mere fact that we are good does not make us eligible. We must be proficient in something. If we know the human body we can cooperate with the Masters in healing, if we know the laws of being through us, the Masters can give them to the world, while the thoughts of the gods flow through the brain of the thinker. But if we know nothing about anything we are useless for man’s value is based upon his attainments and accomplishments. When we develop qualities useful in the plan, the powers that be will accept us; but we must ourselves make the first move by qualifying to serve with knowledge, judgment and compassion.

We may take the path any time we will that leads us to mastery. We may join those Elder Brothers who guard and guide the destiny of men when we realize that the key to mastery is effort. Conscientious endeavor in whatever walk of life we may be leads to excellence – and excellence in any line, be it sweeping streets or digging ditches, is the mark of mastery. When we have a gift or power, developed through the ages to great excellence, that quality entitles us to know the Masters. And when we dedicate that quality to the unselfish development of the world we are then very close to the Masters. When we have learned of them; the proper use of that quality, the time is not far off when we will be admitted to that inner circle where those are who have excelled since the beginning of the world.

Mastery vs. Omnipotence

The mastery of one plane of nature does not constitute divinity neither are those who have excelled in the physical world gods or anywhere near them. The quality of mastery is merely the transference of citizenship from one plane of nature to another, and the master of the physical plane is merely a beginner on the more attenuated realms of the super-physical world. Mastership is not the end of the trail for as high as the Initiate is above man, so much higher are the gods above the Initiates.

People have the idea that when they become Initiates they have reached the goal. This is a false concept for in the great cosmic plan of things there is no end that mortal sense has ever reached. There is no completion of the great work but it stretches on eternity after eternity, divided like night and day Pralayic Night and Manvantaric Day. As a day upon this earth is but a fleeting second so, truly, a cosmic day is but a fleeting second in the endless eternity of possibility. The Initiate, with his broader sense, his greater knowledge, his deeper understanding, is just beginning to grasp the possibilities of the universe and instead of being closer to the end of all things he has just reached the point where he can begin to understand the endless horizon. As surely as the man on earth can never walk to the horizon line so surely the Initiate has no power within his soul which can bring eternity closer than the infinite.

The path of conscious union with the causal world is a long and tedious one and many steps divide the pupil from even the first degree of mastery. These steps reach like a mighty ladder up into the darkness of cosmic sleep towards the blinding radiance of enlightened dawn. On this ladder stand the creatures of creation, each on a different round. Somewhere down in the mist still enveloped in the seething vapors of humid materiality, stands man – behind him an endless row of shadow shapes of cruder creatures, animals and plants – all with heads upward like his own to where the light of the sun shines faintly through the clouds. Above him on this endless ladder stand those who have gone before, shining, enlightened ones, who have seen that which man’s eyes have not beheld, who know that which his senses do not respond to. And yet each, like himself, has his eyes turned upward, upward to the infinite light, ever shadowed by the Maya of unreality.

For man this ladder is the Jacob’s ladder of the soul, reaching upward from the dirt through the seven worlds of Brahma, with its upper end resting on the footstool of omnipotence. Who shall climb this ladder up whose steep rungs a million creations have plodded and vanished in the haze of the unknown? We sometimes feel that when mastery is ours (and we have made a proper trip to the Orient, etc.) that like in the Greek fable we will don our wings of wax and go sailing over the heads of all these plodders and land gracefully upon the upper rung. But this does not seem to be the plan of things and the amount gained by perfect mastery in this world holds just enough power to lift ourselves one rung, no more. To us the one who stands upon the step above us is a mystic, unknown god but he in turn is praying and plodding along the way that through the mercy and justice of the powers that be and the consecration of his own soul he may lift himself just one more step also. We live in a growing world, the fruitage of a growing God, and between man and divinity stretches not just an open void to be crossed by the clever schemer but an endless path of rounds and periods to be crossed and slowly passed through according to the law of being. None are superior to this law but the greatest are those who learn to be satisfied with its plan and to work honestly and sincerely in their effort to attain the position of usefulness in the plan of things.

Many motives are held out to the pupil to lead him upward on the path of being. Many of them are not sincere but play upon the weaknesses of the human soul. Man hates opposition and the law of physical body, keyed to inertia, hates exertion. The pressure of the physical combat is irksome to most, therefore unscrupulous people, playing upon these weaknesses of man, have held out the inducement of rest, inaction and all-power as the fruitage of mastery. But such is far from the case. Those who would be the greatest among men must be the servants of all, those who would attain the highest must realize that the answer to the problem is not in the attainment but in the ability to preserve the qualities once attained. Under certain conditions the soul of man reaches a very great height; in moments of great sorrow, of tribulation or danger he often becomes a superman for a fleeting moment then lapses back again. Unless the candidate seeking spiritual power is capable of sustaining his mastery he sinks right back into the rut from which he came, less than before he started. The Master is under the same laws as is man, upon his shoulders rest responsibilities many times as heavy as those which we must shoulder, and his soul with its clearer vision is often more weighted with sadness than those of people who think least. The more thoughtless we are the more happy we usually are for thought brings with it responsibility and man today is happy only in his laziness, but until he can learn to transmute his ideals until he is happy in his labors it is useless for him as an metaphysician to attempt the path of mastery. Unless his desire for rest and superiority is transmuted right here into the desire for action and humility, the path of mastery will bring with it only horror, melancholia and death.

Spiritual wisdom is useless unless it is cooperated with by the human functioning organism. No master attains initiation in spite of himself or in spite of his lower bodies but climbs upward through the assistance of them, and unless he is first able to mold them and gain their confidence and support he will never be able to use them for the attainment of omnipotence. The true master in not seeking omnipotence nor power but is seeking to unwind the spiral of his own consciousness from the shell of unconsciousness that he may gradually become what he was intended to be – a self-conscious, self-responsible, self-perpetuating, self-governing unit. This is the ultimate of the earth chain. He is slowly transmuting the servant into the master and in so doing becomes a master of his own servant before which he now bows and whose bidding he now carries out.

The God we worship is a great grownup child with the same human touch, the same human qualities, the same likabilities that fill the souls of those around us in the material world. For years we have worshiped God as a creature of hate and revenge, an awe-inspiring, very dignified individual. Such is far from the truth. The God of the metaphysician is the Elder Brother of His flock, His interest is their interest and their interest is His interest. Their suffering reaches Him, their joys impress Him, He smiles with them and weeps with them, at the same time with the stern hand of correction He guides them. Like the parent who guides the child, He must often seem cruel but in His own soul He suffers more than they do at every sorrow of their lives. The Master, on a smaller scale, is seeking to reach the same spiritual position where from the adoration of a few he seeks and attains the position where his heart and soul are wound up in the salvation of all.

The Masters of Wisdom are the hardest working creatures in the universe. For them neither day or night holds rest. Upon their shoulders rest the heaviest of responsibilities and eternally the souls of men come knocking at their doors seeking help and guidance. All through the ages not a moment is their own and they are endlessly laboring, but the true reason for their joy and power is the fact that they have learned to love their labors. They work for the joy of the work and when man reaches that point in this world where he labors for the love of it, he has reached a position where mastery in some line is very close. The cheerful workman is closer to God than the howling hypocrite who seeks union with Him.

Knowledge comes only to those who prepare themselves to receive knowledge, for the Lord will enter into the temple only when the temple has been prepared according to His direction. The price of knowledge is responsibility and those who are unwilling to shoulder their burdens should not seek illumination, for it would be their undoing if they discovered it. Upon the realization of this depends the growth and development of the student. The powers a disciple receives are only loaned to him. He is accountable to his Creator for the use he makes of each of them, and unless they are applied according to the instructions of the Great Teacher, the student will fail in his task, and instead of growing will destroy himself. The Veil of the Unknown must forever hang between the pillars of the temple, concealing the interior until, with the sword of his own spirit-fire, the student can rend it in twain.

Part II

One of the saddest forms of deception practiced in Black Magic is that which is not uncommon in the occult world today – the misuse of the concept of Masters for the attainment of personal ends. Not only are there a great many people impersonating or trying to impersonate the Great Teachers, but there are a still greater number who claim to be receiving messages from or acting under the direction of those Exalted Brothers. A great number of the teachings purported to come from the Masters are fabrications of the imagination, and in all too many cases downright falsehoods. After considering many of those so-called authentic reports, we are forced to the conclusion that these “Masters” are hopelessly ignorant concerning some of the most simple truths which the average school child should know, or else the messages purported to come from them are not authentic. We prefer to accept the latter theory as being more logical and rational, in the light of the great wisdom that these Exalted Brothers have actually given the human race at various times. All is not gold that glitters nor is everyone with a gifted tongue illuminated. The reason why there is so much controversy concerning the existence of the Great Teachers is largely because of the spurious and unworthy documents and teachings attributed to them. A student cannot afford to be gullible nor can he afford to be too critical. With an open mind, but one capable of sure and intelligent operation, each problem must be analyzed for itself, things are often not what they seem to be. This is a word to the wise. It should be unnecessary to say more.

Nature makes use of every individual according to the knowledge which that individual possesses, for every creature must work along the lines of familiar things. When the Masters choose their disciples they assign to each a labor which it is reasonably certain he can accomplish intelligently. A candidate is not given knowledge by initiation; he is merely shown how to use most wisely the knowledge which he already possesses. If the disciple knows the human body as the result of medical training, he can be used in those problems which involve and require a knowledge of the human body. The fine art of spiritual healing in the majority of cases is practiced by individuals without the slightest concept of how this mysterious creature, man, is put together. As a result, they often do more harm than good when trying to manipulate the influence unknown elements. If we have learned to think thoughts that are valuable to men, our minds will be used and we shall be instructed as to how our thoughts may be of still greater value to a still greater number of persons. The faculties and talents which we evolve are what we actually offer to the Masters when we offer ourselves, and we are useful to the same degree that we have accomplished things and evolved centers of consciousness within ourselves. When we develop qualities useful to the plan of Nature and essential to the good of our fellow creatures, we shall then be accepted by the Masters of Wisdom. We shall be taught how to increase the length of our lives that the world may benefit longer from our accomplishments. Why should a person want to live forever or even for a few hundred years unless he means to benefit others by his living! What right has man to live when he is no longer useful! Nonetheless if all men were to live only for that span of time during which they contributed to the growth and development of others, the lives of many would be short indeed.

At any time we so desire, we may take the path which in time will lead us to Mastery. We may by sincere desire come close to those Elder Brothers who guard and guide the destinies of men. Conscientious endeavor in whatever walk of life we find ourselves will ultimately lead to excellence, and excellence in any line of endeavor, be it sweeping streets or digging ditches, is the mark of mastery. When we have a power or faculty developed through ages of labor to a point of extreme excellence, that ability entitles us to know the Masters. When we dedicate our ability to the unselfish development and unfoldment of all things, then we are very close to the Masters. When we have studied at their feet and have learned from them the proper use of that power or faculty, then the time is not far off when we shall be admitted to that inner circle of Illuminated Ones where we shall mingle with those who at various times since the world began have reached that point of excellency which entitles man to immortality.