That great Theosophist, Paul, the follower of the risen Christ, speaks to us, when we read his Epistles to his followers, just as much as he spoke to them in their time. Remembering what H.P.B. said, that he was an Initiate, let us take heed of his words as though he were addressing them to us in this century.

In his first Epistle to the Corinthians he wrote these well-known words:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

The dictionary meaning of the word charity is "universal love; the disposition to think favourably of others, and do them good." Does not this remind us of what is said in The Theosophical Glossary under "Kamadeva"? Just as we have, today, limited Kama to ordinary love, so we have thought of charity as mere "almsgiving." This is how Paul goes on to describe charity:

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up;

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoyceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Charity never faileth...

Keeping in mind that we are students of the same ancient wisdom which Paul reiterated, let us see how we can apply his words to ourselves. Let us try to realize, as a fact, that no matter what we say, no matter how eloquently we say it, no matter how much knowledge we possess, unless the foundation of our motive and our attitude is "to live to benefit mankind," all our knowledge and words are useless to ourselves and to those who hear us. In other words, though we may be able to quote all that our philosophy teaches regarding life after death, reincarnation, karma, the ego, the Three Fundamentals, the Masters of Wisdom, etc., if we are puffed up, if our motive is to show off our knowledge to others and not primarily to help them, we are, as Paul puts it—"nothing." It is the philosophy that matters, not our exposition of it. Jesus brought this out when he said to his disciples: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Let us pass on the Teachings, pure and untinged by our motive or preference.

Are we willing to suffer long and still be kindly disposed to others? Are we really unenvious? Are we willing to keep out of the limelight? If we are, then we will behave ourselves in a seemly manner; we will not all the time be thinking of our rights and demanding this and that; we will not be upset over real or imaginary wrongs. More than this, we will not think evil.

What does it mean, not to think evil? It does not mean that evil is not to be seen where it is; it means that we do not think evilly. No untoward act or speech comes without thought behind it. If we never think evil, we shall not do evil. But there is another side to this also; we must not impute evil to others.

What a great psychologist Paul was! He tells us that charity "rejoiceth not in iniquity." Can any one of us truly state that we have not, at one time or another, rejoiced at finding that someone had done wrong? If this were not so, there would be no gossip; and many would have to admit that to gossip is one of their greatest joys in life—only they never think of it that way!

How do we view our family and companions, our nation and the world? Are we genuinely sad when they choose the path of iniquity? Do we choose for ourselves what line we shall follow according to our Teachings, or do we fight shy of mentioning what our Teachings say on a particular topic? Do we, indeed, often take sides with iniquity?

Does our belief in Karma make us bear all things, have faith in the Law, "hope still," and be a firm rock in the midst of the storms that surround us?

"Charity never faileth." What wonderful words these are! Though all else fails, charity remains because it is the foundation stone of the unchanging universe, the heart of Brahma, the compassion that wishes well to all. All else must pass from sight, blending into that one Unity whose Heart is Compassion Absolute.

There is that aspect of life which is permanent through all destruction, the silent, stable hub of the wheel of life. All things fade away in time; all disturbances cease; only harmony remains. The only changelessness that can exist within changes is that root of all which is in us—the all-embracing desire for the welfare of all beings.

The desire for Universal Good, Compassion Absolute, Charity, are all ONE.

A human being is a part of the whole, called by us "universe"—a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest...a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of Nature in Its beauty.

—Albert Einstein