Daily Meditation: Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Principles and forms - the former are eternal and the latter must evolve

07/20/2005

We must not reject the heritage bequeathed to us by the great spirits of the past. On the contrary, we must meditate on it and immerse ourselves in it. But this does not mean that we should conform to their philosophy in every detail. It is the principles which must be preserved, because they are eternal. As for the forms, they follow the law of life and therefore can and in fact must evolve. It is because this law is not well understood that many misunderstandings occur. Some people, in their desire to reject forms they find outmoded, reject the principles as well. And others preserve the old forms because they confuse them with the principles. As a result, those who reject the principles no longer have a compass with which to orientate themselves, and those who cling to the forms become rigid. You may ask: ‘But which principles should be preserved?’ All those which emphasize the pre-eminence of the spirit, of goodness, generosity, love, purity, and sacrifice. It hardly matters which forms you use to apply them: in this you are free to choose!