The World of Tradition

T h e  W o r l d  o f  O u r  T r a d i t i o n

Eva Veselnitskaya

Examination of this question is not possible without the following premises, or, better to say, without the background. I have two premises: "A man is not a natural creature" and "A man has been created in order to study". And then a certain world view appears, which, in my opinion is no worse or no better than many others.

The Earth is a certain educational institution where people are afforded an opportunity to realize their destiny, that is to study. There are pleny of ways and variations of this study. They are accessible and they have been described multiple times during the millenia of human history. And only the man himself may be the sole obstacle on the way of realization of this study. That is the exam is right here: would he hear or not, would he use the chance or not; and if he does, then all the doors will be opened before him, and then everything will only depend on the degree of his need.

In such a view of the world, all the multitude of existing paths and traditions, orthodox and esoteric, the ones that created broad publicity and the ones that are hidden from noise, all alike are the departments of an invisible college. And they all lead to the same goal - to make a man meet himself, and to teach him to properly use this "himself."

And when he has leaned?

Well, then a very different story will begin.

Then what are the specifics of the department that we used to call the European Esoteric Tradition School, and now we simpy say "The Tradition", in order to separate the course itself is from the preparation stage? On the flag of this department - Jester in the Universe, on the shield - the Snail, and the motto over the gates:

"Who follows the snail - will reach the end. Who follows the lion will die in the battle. Who tries to soar with the eagle - will become, at best, a prophet. But who follows the snail - will reach the end." Thus spoke Abu Silg, and he knows something about it.

Thus we can provide a consise and simple formula. The Tradition is a part of the World of Miracles (or, a part of un-correlated reality) that is bound by the Law of precisely this Tradition. The qualitative definiteness of a specific tradition is provided by its Law, and, by its Law, each tradition differs from another, both in its external manifestations and in its inner life.

In the inner life, the Law of the tradition defines the specifics of the interaction with the World of Miracles, its technology and its ethics.

What kind of tradition is it?
Tranformational one.
But what does it transform?
It transforms a sleeping in an automatic mode being with rare gleams of self-concsiousness to a two-faced Janus capable of spiritualization of reality.
And what will I be able to do?
Everything that you need.
And what will I know?
Everthing that is required.
And what will I possess?
Everything that you desire.
But will I have any desires by this time?

A transformational tradition (or a tradition of transfiguration) is a Path thagt gives you power that you would not use, knowledge that you would not remember, and skills that you would not know about. Because, as a result of the transformation, the one who could own all of the above dissapears. The only thing that is left is a tool in hands of reality, and the more skills, knowedge and power the one who dissapeared had, the more advanced this tool becomes.

This is why it is so difficult to describe (as if it were the only difficulty!) as the Tradition itself so its world. By suggesting to follow the snail, this tender and unheroic creature, the Tradition insists on contiguous, non-stop advancement, as a sole possibility of realization. There is no place here not only for a rest and resting on oars, there is no place even for an honorable pause for accumulating new knowledge and power. There is not any pause in the life. By declaring the Jester playing in the Universe as its symbol, the Tradition, among other things proclaims the necessity of ultimate freedom from... for the uttermost freedom for...

The World of Tradition is determined from within, and therefore, could be fluent, yielding and elusive from without. The life in the bazaar is a great teacher. Without rigid external rules, based solely on the patterns of uncorrelated reality, which, akin virtual particles, dissapear and reappear in the space of Presence, the Tradition leaves, if anything, the only one possibility of one's existence and the only one real possibility of interaction: to glide, in an ultimate resonance, on the wave top, together with it.

And so comes the end of rational concsiousness! Images, only images. A bird that gave herself to the wind, a string, responding to the lightest touch of the minstrel's hand, "I am a jester, I am a clown, I'm just a laughter".

What is the paramount condition in reaching such a state?

Faith. Having Faith as an effort of concsious devotion.

What may give a chance to realize it?

Creator. Because a life based on the world of Miracles is the life of a Creator. And what is the life of Creator? It is the life in the world of catastroph (in terms of the catastroph theory), where, with support of Faith, and with an instanteneous reaction on the impulse, the action is born. The action of which we only know for sure, that both its meaning and consequences are unknown. A fool, a jester... an insane that is.

How to get there? To covet the impossible, not to fear the unknown, to love what lies beyond all limits, to search for the extreme, and not to blab about it. To abandon all the worries abount this beloved self... and what shall be, shall be.

The Tradition works with energy of Fire. Why? Because what else can be used to realize the Transformation? This is our biochemistry. We live in the world where only the energy of fire is capable of melting the chaos. Be it the spacial chaos, or social chaos, or chaos of a sole, not yet comprehended human life. To melt and to transform, not to alter and remodel. By the principle of romantic youth - to draw the fire upon oneself. And let this "self" burn down, but, preferrably, let it burn in the fire of our love.

Who may desire it? And who may survive it?

No one does, really. Maybe only the insane who have exprerienced the bliss of a flight in their dream, and have decided - I crave for it.

Then what is the technoligical cornerstone of the world of our Tradition? Without doubts, it is the resonance. Resonanse with reality, resonance-based interactions. And, since all the activities of the Tradition itself are the result of resonacne with the Reality, the activities of all people that belong to the Tradition is the result of resonance with the Tradition, that is, ideally, such activities are the activities of the Tradition itself.

But there is resonance and then there is resonance. Instrument's resonance, resonance of personalities, of individualities, of essenses, then total resonance. Resonance with people, with the situation, with the Master, with the Tradition, with the Reality. Up to a certain place it is all the question of technique. The technique leading to the solution of the main task - the task of de-such-ness-ing, Because, until this task is solved, there could be no Resonance, when "the two will become the one", when two things turn into one thing, yet remaining the two. The chance to realize the ultimate capability that is offered by this Tradition, the capability of total Transformation would not appear until then. As the true resonance, as opposed to technical resonance is not just an acquired skill, but a quality of existence. But when it happens, only what you resonate with exists. There is no you, but there is your beloved one, there is no you, but there is your Master, there is no you, but there is your Tradition. And by you, the Tradition creates that, which was your ultimate reason of getting into this story. "I am Tradition, but Tradition is not me".

A beautiful World comes into view, a world of magic, a world that arises above the commonness, and leads away from triteness.

And the specifics follow. The principle Time, Place and People takes its place. The specifics of the situation, people, objective and subjective factors and technologies. The technology of mental work, the technology of harnessing the energy, the technology of de-identification, and the technology of giving up such-ness. The technology of threading the Path. Ths magical world is very technological. And while consciosness is occupied by learing the various technologies, lo and behold, the essense may slip through beyound the boundaries, have breath of live air, and get stronger.

Do people of Tradition live by the laws of this world? They try. The magnitude of a need, as it is known, is measured by the magnitude of the obstacle, and only extra-efforts are counted. The social world is made tangible by specifics of each person on its own. I do not know the answer to the question how the spiritual world is made tangible. But if, under careful examination, the sum total of all actions, deeds, and choices of the people can be described by rules and regulations of the social life, then how does the Tradition fit into the picture? Well, it probably fits into the gaps, into those places that do not fit and that cannot be explained by social laws.

There are always quite a few people at the entrance. Why? That is the bazaar for you. The entrance is free, and the exit is also open for everyone. You want to sell - go ahead, you want to buy - go ahead, or, just walk through the lines, look, observe... There is a circus and a theatre, for your mind, and for your body, and your soul. The outer court of Tradition is both attactive and alluring: no superiors, no rigid rules, no threats, no punishments. You came. Welcome, come in! You are leaving? Farewell! You came again? Hello!

The outer court is, to an extent, a temptation. It gives you a wonderful chance to exchange your old, wearysome illusions to new ones, much more appealing. And most people are satisfied with such an exchange. They find the new company, new words, and some esoteric skills. And stay there forever, being absolurely sure that what they have found is the Tradition.

"If the things that are visible to you are obscure to you, how can you hear about the things that are not visible?"
Nag-Hammadi Library, Codex II, part 7, "The book of Thomas the Contender"

The true world of Tradition lies much further ahead. It starts in the place where a calm and relaxed seeker, well rested after his escape from mundane world, suddenly realizes that he desired much more than that, or simply put, he desired somethinf different. And from there begins the Path of Tradition, and this Path is fierce and cruel. It is cruel toward lazyness, selfishness, egoism and parasitism, cruel toward mundane, accustomed, "humane". Your sorrow, your joy, your experiences, your victories and defeats, they are not needed by anyone in this world, but yourself. "It is all the same for Tradition, yet Tradition is rejoicing"

It is all so simple and clear in martial arts - if you are not ready, if you are lazy, if you are weak, you will be beaten, and there will be real blisters and real blood, or, if the matter is taken seriously, you may get killed. It is so simple and clear on the ways of mental development - you either have got it or not, and, if you have not - pink slip in the envelope, good bye! In our world, in the world of the Tradition, where there is not any "must", but only "want", everything is much tougher. The world of the Tradition deprives the man of any support of external reinforcements, of any proof of belonging or advancement. The Tradition takes away any support in human life, in the outer life, but only helps, leads and supports as much, as the man himself desires. "Everyone gets not what he deserves, but what he desires". And thus, the new meaning fills up this so worn out statement: "Beware of your own wishes, as they do come true".

Who is able to believe that he desired so little?

And thus the aspiration grows, and practice becomes a necessity, as, without it, neither comprehension nor transfiguration would come.

But you promised that joy will come?
But have you learned to rejoice over obstacles?

And nothing was hidden from you. It was said: "The further ahead, the more difficult. You shall become a fish, that digs her own pond, and fills it up with water, all by herself."

Who would find strength to believe into it?
It is the path for very strong people.
But who would admit his weakness?

The one who believes, and the one who admits, is the one who shall pass.

Translation by I. Shpigelman and B. Macdonald, 2006, Jolly Insanes of Toronto