We cannot help others if we cannot help ourselves.

Sutrayana or Shravakayana, the foundational level of spiritual practice, initiates our progress on the path of genuine religion. This means to serve God in ourselves by working on our defects. The next level is the Mahayana path, whereby we learn to serve God in others by compassionate service. However, we cannot generate compassion if we do not work on ourselves, on our defects, in meditation. It all depends on our individual work. We cannot ascend to the higher stages of initiation if we do not work on ourselves. Once individual work is established, we can truly serve others selflessly.

Those who do not know how to meditate, the superficial, the ignorant, will never be able to dissolve the ego. They will always be impotent driftwood in the tumultuous sea of life. -Samael Aun Weor, The Great Rebellion