Truth-Wrought Words
GA 40
Credo. The Individual and the All
The world of ideas is the source and the principle of all being. In it there is infinite harmony and blissful peace. The being, which it did not illuminate with its light, would be a dead, unsubstantial one, which would have no part in the life of the world as a whole. Only what derives its existence from the idea, that means something in the creation tree of the universe. The idea is the spirit clear in itself, sufficient in itself and with itself. The individual must have the spirit in itself, otherwise it falls off, like a dry leaf from that tree, and was there in vain.
But man feels and recognizes himself as an individual when he awakens to his full consciousness. Thereby he has implanted the longing for the idea. This longing drives him to overcome the individuality and to let the spirit come to life in him, to be according to the spirit. Everything that is selfish, that makes him this particular, individual being, that man must abolish in himself, strip from himself, for it is this that darkens the light of the spirit. What arises from sensuality, from instinct, desire, passion, that only this egoistic individual wants. Therefore, man must kill this selfish wanting in himself; instead of what he wants as an individual, he must want what the spirit, the idea in him wants. Let the individuality pass away and follow the voice of the idea in you, for it alone is the divine! What one wants as an individual is a worthless point on the circumference of the whole world, disappearing in the stream of time; what one wants “in the spirit” is in the center, because the central light of the universe lives in us; such an act is not subject to time. If one acts as an individual, then one excludes oneself from the closed chain of the world's activity, one separates oneself. If one acts “in the spirit,” then one lives oneself into the general world activity. Killing of all selfhood, that is the basis for the higher life. For he who kills selfhood lives an eternal being. We are immortal in the measure in which we let die in us the selfness. That which is mortal in us is selfhood. This is the true meaning of the saying: “he who does not die before he dies, corrupts when he dies.” That is, he who does not let the selfhood in himself cease during the time of his life, has no part in the general life that is immortal, has never been there, has had no true being.
There are four spheres of human activity in which man gives himself fully to the spirit with the killing of all self-life: knowledge, art, religion and loving devotion to a personality in the spirit. Who does not live at least in one of these four spheres, does not live at all. Knowledge is devotion to the universe in thought, art in contemplation, religion in the mind, love with the sum of all spiritual forces to something which appears to us as a being of the world whole worth appreciating for us. Knowledge is the most spiritual, love the most beautiful form of selfless devotion. For love is a true light from heaven in the life of ordinariness. Pious, truly spiritual love ennobles our being to its innermost fiber, it elevates everything that lives within us. This pure pious love transforms the whole life of the soul into another that has kinship with the spirit of the world. To love in this highest sense means to carry the breath of God's life where usually only the most detestable egoism and careless passion can be found. One must know something of the holiness of love, only then can one speak of being pious.
When man has lived through one of the four spheres, out of the individual, into the divine life of the idea, then he has attained that for which the germ of aspiration lies in his breast: his union with the spirit; and this is his true destiny. But he who lives in the spirit lives freely. For he has got rid of everything subordinate. Nothing conquers him but that from which he gladly suffers compulsion, for he has recognized it as the highest.
Let the truth become life; lose yourself in order to find yourself again in the spirit of the world!
Credo. Der Einzelne und das All.
Die Ideenwelt ist der Urquell und das Prinzip alles Seins. In ihr ist unendliche Harmonie und selige Ruhe. Das Sein, das sie mit ihrem Lichte nicht beleuchtete, wäre ein totes, wesenloses, das keinen Teil hätte an dem Leben des Weltganzen. Nur, was sein Dasein von der /dee herleitet, das bedeutet etwas am Schöpfungsbaume des Universums. Die Idee ist der in sich klare, in sich selbst und mit sich selbst sich genügende Geist. Das Einzelne muß den Geist in sich haben, sonst fällt es ab, wie ein dürres Blatt von jenem Baume, und war umsonst da. Der Mensch aber fühlt und erkennt als Einzelnes sich, wenn er zu seinem vollen Bewußtsein erwacht. Dabei aber hat er die Sehnsucht nach der Idee eingepflanzt. Diese Sehnsucht treibt ihn an, die Einzelheit zu überwinden und den Geist in sich aufleben zu lassen, dem Geiste gemäß zu sein. Alles, was selbstisch ist, was ihn zu diesem bestimmten, einzelnen Wesen macht, das muß der Mensch in sich aufheben, bei sich abstreifen, denn dieses ist es, was das Licht des Geistes verdunkelt. Was aus der Sinnlichkeit, aus Trieb, Begierde, Leidenschaft hervorgeht, das will nur dieses egoistische Individuum. Daher muß der Mensch dieses selbstische Wollen in sich abtöten, er muß statt dessen, was er als Einzelner will, das wollen, was der Geist, die Idee in ihm will. Lasse die Einzelheit dahinfahren und folge der Stimme der Idee in Dir, denn sie nur ist das Göttliche! Was man als Einzelner will, das ist am Umfange des Weltganzen ein wert 15 loser, im Strom der Zeit verschwindender Punkt; was man «im Geiste» will, das ist im Zentrum, denn es lebt in uns das Zentrallicht des Universums auf; eine solche Tat unterliegt nicht der Zeit. Handelt man als Einzelner, dann schließt man sich aus der geschlossenen Kette des Weltwirkens aus, man sondert sich ab. Handelt man «im Geiste», dann lebt man sich hinein in das allgemeine Weltwirken. Ertötung aller Selbstheit, das ist die Grundlage für das höhere Leben. Denn wer die Selbstheit abtötet, der lebt ein ewiges Sein. Wir sind in dem Maße unsterblich, in welchem Maße wir in uns die Selbstheit ersterben lassen. Das an uns Sterbliche ist die Selbstheit. Dies ist der wahre Sinn des Ausspruches: «wer nicht stirbt, bevor er stirbt, der verdirbt, wenn er stirbt». Das heißt, wer nicht die Selbstheit in sich aufhören läßt während der Zeit seines Lebens, der hat keinen Teil an dem allgemeinen Leben, das unsterblich ist, der ist nie dagewesen, hat kein wahrhaftes Sein gehabt.
Es gibt vier Sphären menschlicher Tätigkeit, in denen der Mensch sich voll hingibt an den Geist mit Ertötung alles Eigenlebens: die Erkenntnis, die Kunst, die Religion und die liebevolle Hingabe an eine Persönlichkeit im Geiste. Wer nicht wenigstens in einer dieser vier Sphären lebt, lebt überhaupt nicht. Erkenntnis ist Hingabe an das Universum in Gedanken, Kunst in der Anschauung, Religion im Gemüte, Liebe mit der Summe aller Geisteskräfte an etwas, was uns als ein für uns schätzenswertes Wesen des Weltganzen erscheint. Erkenntnis ist die geistigste, Liebe die schönste Form selbstloser Hingabe. Denn Liebe ist ein wahrhaftes Himmelslicht in dem Leben der Alltäglichkeit. Fromme, wahrhaft geistige Liebe veredelt unser Sein bis in seine innerste Faser, sie erhöht alles, was in uns lebt. Diese reine fromme Liebe verwandelt das ganze Seelenleben in ein anderes, das zum Weltgeiste Verwandtschaft hat. In diesem höchsten Sinne lieben, heißt den Hauch des Gotteslebens dahin tragen, wo zumeist nur der verabscheuungswürdigste Egoismus und die achtungslose Leidenschaft zu finden ist. Man muß etwas wissen von der Heiligkeit der Liebe, dann erst kann man von Frommsein sprechen.
Hat der Mensch sich durch eine der vier Sphären hindurch, aus der Einzelheit heraus, in das göttliche Leben der Idee eingelebt, dann hat er das erreicht, wozu der Strebenskeim in seiner Brust liegt: seine Vereinigung mit dem Geiste; und dies ist seine wahre Bestimmung. Wer aber im Geiste lebt, lebt frei. Denn er hat sich alles Untergeordneten entwunden. Nichts bezwingt ihn, als wovon er gerne den Zwang erleidet, denn er hat es als das Höchste erkannt.
Lasse die Wahrheit zum Leben werden; verliere Dich selbst, um Dich im Weltgeiste wiederzufinden!
Credo. The individual and the universe.
The world of ideas is the source and principle of all existence. It is filled with infinite harmony and blissful tranquility. Any existence that is not illuminated by its light would be dead, insubstantial, and have no part in the life of the universe as a whole. Only that which derives its existence from the /dee has any meaning in the tree of creation of the universe. The idea is the spirit that is clear in itself, sufficient in itself and with itself. The individual must have the spirit within itself, otherwise it falls away like a dry leaf from that tree, and was there in vain. But man feels and recognizes himself as an individual when he awakens to his full consciousness. In doing so, however, he has the longing for the idea implanted in him. This longing drives him to overcome individuality and to let the spirit live within him, to be in accordance with the spirit. Everything that is selfish, that makes him this particular, individual being, man must abolish within himself, cast off, for this is what darkens the light of the spirit. What arises from sensuality, from instinct, desire, passion, is what this egoistic individual wants. Therefore, man must kill this selfish will within himself; instead of what he wants as an individual, he must want what the spirit, the idea within him, wants. Let the details fade away and follow the voice of the idea within you, for it alone is divine! What one wants as an individual is, in the context of the whole world, a worthless point that disappears in the stream of time; what one wants “in the spirit” is at the center, for the central light of the universe lives within us; such an act is not subject to time. If you act as an individual, you exclude yourself from the closed chain of world activity; you separate yourself. If you act “in spirit,” you live yourself into the general world activity. The death of all selfhood is the basis for higher life. For whoever kills selfhood lives an eternal being. We are immortal to the extent that we allow selfhood to die within us. What is mortal in us is selfhood. This is the true meaning of the saying: “Whoever does not die before he dies, perishes when he dies.” That is, whoever does not let selfhood cease within himself during his lifetime has no part in the general life that is immortal; he has never existed, has had no true being.
There are four spheres of human activity in which man devotes himself fully to the spirit, killing all self-life: knowledge, art, religion, and loving devotion to a personality in the spirit. Those who do not live in at least one of these four spheres do not live at all. Knowledge is devotion to the universe in thought, art in perception, religion in the mind, love with the sum of all spiritual powers to something that appears to us as a valuable being of the whole world. Knowledge is the most spiritual, love the most beautiful form of selfless devotion. For love is a true heavenly light in everyday life. Pious, truly spiritual love ennobles our being to its innermost fiber; it elevates everything that lives within us. This pure, pious love transforms the entire life of the soul into another that is related to the world spirit. To love in this highest sense means to carry the breath of God's life to places where usually only the most despicable selfishness and disrespectful passion can be found. One must know something about the sanctity of love; only then can one speak of piety.
Once a person has lived through one of the four spheres, out of particularity, into the divine life of the idea, then he has achieved what the seed of striving lies in his breast: his union with the spirit; and this is his true destiny. But those who live in the spirit live freely. For they have freed themselves from all that is subordinate. Nothing compels them except that which they willingly submit to, for they have recognized it as the highest.
Let truth come to life; lose yourself in order to find yourself again in the world spirit!