© 2011 by George A. Boyd
In keeping with the theme of setting New Years resolutions, we are offering for our last blog post of 2016, an article we wrote on the topic of discipline. This article was written in 2011, and first published in our Initate’s Library level two book, The Winds of Adi Sat Guru Desh in 2013. It is important to realize that simply resolving to do something, but then, not following through, is doomed to failure. Discipline requires that you sustain your activity until your goal is achieved. Discipline is more than saying you will do something; it requires committed and perseverent action. Here’s the article:
Discipline occurs when the volition focuses activity and attention towards a specific objective over a sustained period of time. Those that gain personal mastery of any genre do so because they are able to discipline the faculties of their personality to achieve peak performance and functioning.
Across the Seven Rays, we can identify different types of personal discipline. These are shown in the table below.
|
Ray |
Type of Discipline |
Keynote |
Dominant Personality Function |
|
1st |
Sports and Military |
Courage |
Will |
|
2nd |
Relationship and Therapeutic Communications |
Empathy |
Intuition |
|
3rd |
Management and Scholarship |
Acquisition and Application of Knowledge |
Intellect |
|
4th |
Musical and Artistic |
Creativity |
Imagination and Senses |
|
5th |
Scientific |
Search for Objective Truth |
Reason |
|
6th |
Religious |
Development of Virtue and Holiness |
Feeling Center |
|
7th |
Yoga/ Spiritual |
Self-Mastery |
Body and Vehicle of Consciousness Awareness |
The following signs mark the emergence of personal discipline:
- Regular behavior practice and drilling to perfect skills
- Acquiring specialized knowledge about this specialty
- Developing strong desire and commitment to succeed in the achieving this goal
- Continued reflection and introspection about this specialty with an aim to improve your performance and knowledge
- Focusing the attention upon this area to develop powerful concentration
- Willingness to sacrifice desires in other aspects of your life to focus on this area
- Associating with those who have achieved mastery in this field to learn their methods; obtaining coaching, teaching or mentoring
from an expert or adept in this area
Discipline and the Path
Meditation is a Seventh Ray application of discipline. It includes learning to control your body and your vehicles of consciousness, to monitor the contents of awareness in different vehicles, and to actively unfold your spiritual evolutionary potentials.
Meditation begins as a process of inner observing and monitoring. After mastery of these rudimentary practices, meditation activates key inner centers: the attentional principle, the spirit, and the ensouling entity.
These types of spiritual discipline include:
|
Form of Discipline |
Examples |
|
Moral Discipline |
Voluntary self-restraint, observance of rules for living such as Yama or Niyama. |
|
Discipline of the body |
Sitting still in a stable posture, practice of Yoga asanas or martial art poses. |
|
Discipline of the senses |
Withdraw of sensory current (Pratyahara), and detachment from the objects of sense (Vairagya) |
|
Discipline of the attention |
Steady gaze (Tratakam), Concentration (Dharana), Contemplation (Dhyana), and Absorption in the object of meditation (Samadhi) |
|
Discipline of the attentional principle |
Using suggestion programming and creation to control the vehicles of consciousness; using intention to the attention to perform attunements and to travel in full consciousness on to inner Planes |
|
Discipline of the spirit |
Engaging in remembrance of the Divine, voluntarily surrendering to God and the spiritual Master, dedicating all possessions and wealth and energy to the service of God, and following the Divine Will as it is revealed to you |
Spiritual discipline aims to ultimately prepare the meditator to become a spiritual Master. This process of inner discipline, which yields progressively deeper egress into the depths of the mind, may be said to pass through 12 stages:
|
Level of the Mind |
Stage |
Abilities |
|
Conscious |
(1) Rudimentary Stage |
Meditators are first introduced to very basic meditations that do not go deeper than the Conscious mind. They are capable of Practical meditation, relaxation, self-soothing, and introspection. |
|
Subconscious |
(2) Liminal Access Stage |
The meditator can access the chakras of the Subconscious mind, and focus on the seats of the attentional principle and the spirit. With some practice, they consciously can enter the astral body, and utilize hypnotic suggestion. They can also scan through their personal unconscious to access early experiences. |
|
Metaconscious |
(3) Personal Empowerment Stage |
These meditators can access self and utilize the faculties of the Metaconscious mind consciously. They can activate the will to take charge of personal destiny; they can set goals and accomplish them. They are capable of Centering meditation. |
|
Superconscious |
(4) Subtle Realm Access Stage |
These meditators can enter the first band of the Superconscious mind, the Subtle Realm. They can access the higher octaves of the will operating in this band of the Great Continuum of Consciousness and may practice invocation, and magical or shamanic rituals. Those that reach this stage or above can practice Transcendence Meditation. |
|
(5) Planetary Realm Access (Psychic Attunement Stage) |
These meditators activate their vehicles in the Psychic Realm, which grants powers of psychic sensitivity, healing, channeling, and reception of intuitive guidance. They may consciously commune with spiritual guides and can consciously unite with their Soul. |
(6) Planetary Realm Access (Holy Spirit Attunement and |
These meditators can invite the Divine through prayer and invocation to anchor the Holy Spirit. Advanced meditators in this band can utilize the power of the spoken word (decree) to manifest their intentions. |
|
(7) Planetary Realm Access (Mental Attunement Stage) |
These meditators can attune with the Manasic and the Buddhic Realms, and can receive, integrate, and transmit thought directed from the Soul, the Monad, and Initiates of the Planetary Hierarchy. |
|
|
(8) Planetary Realm Access (Empowered Union Stage) |
These meditators unite the Soul with the Monad and become Adepts. They are capable of ministering the Light of Spirit to others; they become instruments of the Divine Will. |
|
|
(9) Higher Octave Access Stage |
These meditators can access the ensouling entities, spirits, or nuclei of identity of the Transplanetary Cosmic, Supracosmic, or Transcendental band of Great Continuum of Consciousness. They can direct their attention to these levels and perform inner spiritual work at these levels. |
|
|
(10) Higher Octave Empowerment |
As a result of these higher octave practices these meditators gain mastery over one band of the Continuum and become Initiates within that zone. This confers Higher Octave spiritual Mastery. |
|
|
(11) Multiple Higher Octave Empowerment |
Certain advanced Initiates gain mastery in more than one band of Great Continuum of Consciousness, and may have forms of Mastery in the Planetary, Transplanetary, Cosmic, Supracosmic, and Transcendental Spheres. |
|
|
(12) Multiplane Mastery |
This confers the ability to work in any realm of Great Continuum of Consciousness, and extends the mantle of mastery to all 12 spiritual domains and to all 13 ensouling entities. |
The ability to discipline yourself will lead to progress and mastery of your chosen genre in personal life. When applied to spiritual development, it will lead you progressively across the Great Continuum of Consciousness, and ultimately, help you achieve spiritual Mastery. Without discipline, you will accomplish little in your personal and spiritual development. With discipline, all things become possible.
