"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours goods."
10. ...and you shall not Desire your neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbour’s. - Deuteronomy 5: 5-23 (Moses)
Related with the Tenth Sephirah: Malkuth – The Kingdom
Virtue: Discrimination
This is the Tenth Commandment which learned ignoramuses usually combine with the Ninth Commandment. It is related with the goods of the earth, with Malkuth: the Kingdom.
What types of goods are they which we should not covet?
It is on Malkuth, the earth, where we are trying to enter the path of Self-realization. One needs a Malkuth, a physical body, in order to enter the path.
This is why it is in this physical world - the Kingdom, which is the Sephirah Malkuth - where we find all of the world’s religious organizations.
All religious groups asseverate to be the door in order to enter into the Path of Light, but they ignore that the door is (actually) “Yesod”, the sexual organs of the physical body (Malkuth), and that the path is the canal of Shushumna in the Spinal Medulla..
The virtue of Malkuth is Discrimination. We have to discriminate internally in order to attain the ability of not coveting our neighbour’s goods.
How did we come into this body and what is our duty?
The Lord's Prayer starts as follows: "Our Father who art in Heaven…"; this is our Inner God, the Spirit who abides in Heaven. The nine Heavens are related with the nine Sephiroth above Malkuth. These Sephiroth will be explained from the bottom to the top through the following nine commandments; they are related with the nine heavens above this physical world.
Our Monad, our Spirit, our Internal God abides in Heaven. Our Monad is related with one of the seven mighty rays, which are associated with the various vocations and talents which we have to develop.
Every Monad has its own inheritance, and we as souls have to inherit that inheritance in order to cultivate its respective talents, in order to exert the vocation or ability which belongs to our Being.
This inheritance is related with the Seven Logoi of the seven planets: the Moon (Gabriel), Mercury (Raphael) Venus (Uriel), the Sun (Michael), Mars (Samael), Jupiter (Zachariel), and Saturn (Orifiel).
Each Archangel commands one of these mighty rays and is related with the diverse vocations that every soul has to perform:
- The Moon (Gabriel) is related with: voyages, the manual arts, novelists, businesses related with liquids, matters related with maternity, agriculture, sicknesses of the stomach and the brain, etc.
- Mercury (Raphael) is related with: Medicine, journalism, Intellectualism, business, conflicts, sciences, travel, and all types of matters related with the Mind.
- Venus (Uriel) is related with: Love, matrimonies, women, perfumes, music, art, sculpture, the dramatic arts, poetry.
- The Sun (Michael) is related with: Law, high dignitaries, mystic matters, social status, high hierarchies, etc.
- Mars (Samael) is related with: wars, military matters, police matters, lawsuits, leaders, workings related with bills and coins, great businesses, matters related with judges and with tribunals, etc.
- Jupiter (Zachariel) is related with: high militarism, civil and ecclesiastic, matters related with bills and coins, great businesses, matters related with judges and with tribunals, etc.
- Saturn (Orifiel) is related with: matters related with lands, mine matters, funeral matters, matters related with death, etc.
Our Monad belongs to one of these seven mighty rays.
The soul must develop her vocation in relation with the particular ray to which her Monad belongs. The soul must also learn how to handle the vibrations of the stars, because the angels of the stars are the absolute governors of the world. (We recommend studying The Zodiacal Course by Samael Aun Weor)
These rays are related with the nine heavens, where we find different hierarchies, angels, Gods etc., which are, in turn, related with our own particular God. These hierarchies help our Monad to develop its own Essence.
We here are precisely that essence, that embryo of the soul, that Buddhata which needs to develop those attributes, or that inheritance which belongs to our own particular Being. We enter into the world in order to develop our inheritance or vocation. “Thy kingdom come…”- this is your stellar inheritance.
We enter into this physical world, into Malkuth, through one of the Twelve Doors of the Zodiacal belt, which in the Bible is called the Twelve Tribes of Israel. When we enter into the physical world we enter through one of those Twelve Doors.
We have to understand that the twelve zodiacal signs are the twelve houses within which the soul incarnates in its various lifetimes in order to develop. As the Venerable Master Samael states, “In each Reincarnation, every Soul is born under a different star so that it becomes ‘rounded out’ (or well-rounded).”
The nine heavens above Malkuth organize themselves in accordance to the Twelve Zodiacal Doors in order to deposit into the essence all that belongs to her, all that is related to the cosmic inheritance of her God which is in Heaven.
Twelve zodiacal signs multiplied by nine heavens equals 108 returns, or 108 opportunities for the essence to develop her cosmic vocation and to perform what she has to perform.
We have to develop our own cosmic vocation. We have to be born under the influence of the different constellations in relation to the Nine Heavens, in order so that we can attain the development of our own cosmic vocation. This vocation is developed in relation to the three brains: the Intellectual, Emotional and Motor-Instinctual-Sexual brains.
The essence, the Consciousness, works through the three brains (intellectual, emotional, motor-instinctual-sexual).
We have to develop that inheritance by working psychologically on ourselves; to receive such an inheritance we have to balance our consciousness within our three brains.
The equilibrium of our consciousness in our three brains is achieved on the Path of the Equilibrated Man. Our goal is to enter into Heaven. To develop the attributes related with our Being, we need to enter the Nine Heavens, we need to be born in the Nine Heavens.
Two circles exist in the world of Malkuth (the Kingdom) in relation to the Religare, to Religion: each circle is related with three types of human beings. First, there is the circle of the Kingdom of Heaven; and second, there is circle related with the Kingdom of the Confusion of Tongues. The equilibrated Human Being is in middle of these two circles: the Gnostic work begins here.
The Kingdom of the Confusion of Tongues is below and the Kingdom of Heaven is above. The Gnostic Doctrine is studied and practiced in the middle. The Gnostic Doctrine teaches how to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Kingdom of the Confusion of Tongues is made up of the three types of human beings related with the three brains: motor-instinctual-sexual, emotional, and intellectual.
The first type of person in the Kingdom of the Confusion of Tongues is related with the motor-instinctual-sexual brain. These are the people who, in the religious world, treat their religion in a very mechanical way. Some of them inherit their religion through their physical parents or have been born into a religious family. They do not know how to re-connect their consciousness to their Inner Being. The motor-instinctual-sexual type of person is related with tradition, habit, custom. They are Christians, Jews, Moslems, and Buddhists, because their parents were or are the same; they were born into that family, but they remain identified with their own particular Cain (or Animal Mind).
The line of work associated with the egoic, motor-instinctual-sexual type of person does not correspond with the cosmic inheritance, with the vocation of their own particular God or Monad.
The second type of person within the Kingdom of the Confusion of Tongues is related with the emotional brain. These are the people who frequently assist with religious ceremonies; they are very devotional. However, they do not know how to re-connect their consciousness with their Inner Being, either. They have converted their religion into another type of belief; they are content with the devotional aspect of that religion, and they believe that they are doing well.
The line of work of work associated with the egoic, emotional type of person does not correspond with the cosmic inheritance, with the vocation of their own particular God or Monad.
The third type of person within the Kingdom of the Confusion of Tongues is related with the intellectual brain. These are people who have intellectualized any given religious doctrine. They interpret such a doctrine with their animal mind and understand their religion only very superficially. They read the sacred books as though they were reading the newspaper or any given magazine. They believe that they comprehend such and such a religion because just because they have memorized their sacred books.
In the religious world, the intellectual type of person studies the Bible, the Torah, the Koran. They intellectualize these books and believe that they have understood them according to their Cain (animal mind). They ignore that sacred books are written in a symbolic way, and that there are certain hidden keys to finding the Truth. They study these books literally. They, too, do not know how to re-connect their consciousness to their Inner Being.
The line of work of the egoic, intellectual type of person does not correspond with the cosmic inheritance, with the vocation of their own particular God or Monad.
These three inferior types of people are the ones who belong to the competitive circles of society, to the circle of the Kingdom of the Confusion of Tongues. They exert various types of egotistical professions; they are always competing amongst themselves to be the best. They exploit each other. The professions of these three types of people are based upon Envy, and they covet the goods or acquired aptitudes of others within their three brains.
These three inferior types of people clash amongst themselves; they do not understand each other. Their society develops within the Tower of Babel, within the Confusion of Tongues.
In practicality, we have been able to verify that when the occupation does not correspond to the vocation of the individual, then this one only thinks in terms of “more than.”
The “I” uses the mechanism of “more than:” “More money than, more fame than, more projects than,” etc., and as is hardly natural, it usually twists the subject into an hypocritical, exploitative, cruel, merciless, and intransigent person, etc.If we study bureaucracy in detail, we can then provide evidence that very seldom does a government job correspond to the vocation of the individual.
If we study in detail the proletariat’s different trade unions, we can then confirm that only on very rare occasions does a job correspond to the individual’s vocation.
When we carefully observe the privileged classes—whether from the East or West of the world—we can then see their total lack of a vocational sense. These so-called “rich kids”—in order to kill boredom—now perform armed assaults and rape defenseless women, etc. Not having found their place in life, they go around disoriented and become rebels without a cause “just to pass the time.”
The chaotic state of humanity in these times of world crisis is frightful.
No one is happy with their work because their positions do not correspond to their vocations. Job applications might pour like rain because no one in particular wants to starve to death, nevertheless the applications do not correspond to the vocations of those who apply.
Presently, many drivers should be doctors or engineers. Many lawyers should be ministers, and many ministers should be tailors. Many shoe-shiners should be ministers, and many ministers should be shoe-shiners, etc. Yes, many people are in occupations that do not correspond to them—that is, their occupation has nothing to do with their true, individual vocation. This is why the social mechanism is functioning in an awfully wrong way. It is similar to an engine manufactured with parts that do not correspond to it, thus, inevitably, the outcome has to be disaster, failure, an absurdity.
In practicality, we have been able to completely verify that when someone does not have the vocational disposition in order to be a guide, religious instructor, political leader, or a director of some spiritualist, scientific, literary, or philanthropic association, then that one only thinks in terms of “more than” and is only dedicated to organize projects and more projects with reprehensible secret purposes.
It is obvious that when the position does not correspond to the individual vocation, the outcome is exploitation. - Fundamentals of Gnostic Education by Samael Aun Weor
The equilibrated human being is the one who finds his own vocation. The Gnostic Psychological Work helps us to discover this vocation.
The Fourth Path, the path of the equilibrated human being, is related with the balancing of the Three Brains. This is not a question of traditions or of mystical fanaticism or of intellectual studies, but of an understanding of conscious control that we have to exercise upon our motor-instinctive-sexual, emotional, and intellectual brains.
This is a psychological, sexual work based on three factors: Scientific Chastity, Psychological Buddhist Annihilation, and Cognizant Charity. These are the Three Factors for the Revolution of our consciousness.
These three factors are intimately related with our three brains. The equilibrated human being wants the equilibrium of the three brains.
Scientific Chastity is related with the transmutation of the sexual energy, in addition to other Esoteric disciplines related with the motor-instinctual-sexual brain. This is connected with the Sephirah Yesod.
Mystical esoteric and endotheric ceremonies help to equilibrate the emotional brain with Christic Solar Atoms of high voltage; this is how we transmute the Sexual Energy unto the heart and develop Cognizant Charity. The classical music of the great masters helps us to develop the superior emotional center. This is related with the Sephirah Hod.
In-depth Meditation is the esoteric discipline for the intellectual brain which allows us to attain the Psychological Buddhist Annihilation, based on the Comprehension of our Defects, errors and vices. This is how we develop wisdom and understanding within ourselves; this is how we learn to place our Intellect under the service of the Spirit, the Being, the Monad; this is related with the Sephirah Netzach.
The equilibrated human being is the one who finds his own vocation and feels repugnance towards any type of fanaticism. This type of human being learns how to discriminate his own ego; this is how he learns not to covet the physical or psychological goods of his or her neighbours.
The walker of the Fourth Path always sees the log that he carries in his eye, and is never concerned with the splinter in the eye of his neighbour.
Only the Fourth Type of person, the Equilibrated Human Being, is psychologically prepared in order to enter the circle of the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Circle of the Kingdom of Heaven is divided into three (5, 6, 7) superior types of human beings.
The Fifth Type moves consciously within the Sephirah Hod of the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the one who has created the Solar Astral Body. This is the one who indeed knows within his heart the vocation of his consciousness.
The Sixth Type moves consciously within the Sephiroth Hod and Netzach of the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the one who, after having created the Solar Astral Body, moves on to create the Solar Mental Body. This is the one who indeed comprehends the symbols of the language of his Spirit.
The Seventh Type moves consciously within the Sephiroth Hod, Netzach and Tiphereth of the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the one who, after having created the Solar Astral and Solar Mental bodies, moves on to create the Solar Causal Body. This is the one who starts to exert the vocation of his own Monad or Internal Being on Earth in a laconic way (without coveting). When we are exercising our own vocation we have to be content with the Rights of Canchorita. These are the rights that God always offers to us – food, clothing and shelter. If we covet something else aside from these three main necessities, then we are not exerting our vocation consciously, we are not performing anything with the consciousness but with the ego.
The Fourth Path is above the circle of the Kingdom of the Confusion of Tongues and is related with those people who want to equilibrate their three brains. This Path has nothing to do with traditions, fanatic mysticism or subjective intellectual studies. The Fourth Path is based on a comprehension that we must exercise upon the motor-instinctual-sexual brain, the emotional brain and the intellectual brain.
Above the Fourth Path is the circle of the Kingdom of Heaven. This is made up of a solar humanity that operates over the Superior Centers of the Being: the superior emotional and superior intellectual centers. These superior centers can only be controlled by the Monad, they cannot be controlled by Cain (the animal ego). We must to be in touch with these superior centers if we want to exercise our true vocation.
There exists in Malkuth, the Kingdom, this physical world, people who are in contact with the Superior Dimensions, with the Sephiroth of the Tree of Life. They are in contact with the Circle of the Kingdom of Heaven. These types of souls have physical bodies but they have also created their superior bodies.
These are people who are in contact with the superior dimensions, people that are already within the circle of the Kingdom of Heaven. They possess the Solar Astral, the Solar Mental, and the Solar Causal Bodies; with these bodies, they can enter into all of the Sephiroth.
While we have not created these bodies we are in the middle, performing the three factors until we become equilibrated.
The Equilibrated Human Being must assist the inferior circle of the Kingdom of the Confusion of Tongues; he or she should help people in that confusion by offering them the possibility of entering into the superior circle of the Kingdom of Heaven. Not many people are ready to leave the lower circle of the Kingdom of the Confusion of Tongues.
Each of us develops in this physical world in accordance with our idiosyncrasy: all of those aptitudes that we have to have based on the demands of the Kingdom of the Confusion of Tongues. When we are in circle of the Kingdom of the Confusion of Tongues, we want to exert our abilities to attain treasures in the physical world. We are always attaining things that do not belong to our Monad, to our Real Being.
When we are exercising our own vocation, we have to be content with the Rights of Canchorita. These are the rights that God always offers to us – food, clothing and shelter. If we covet something aside from these three main necessities, then we are not exerting our vocation consciously, we are not performing anything with the consciousness but with the ego.
When one is exercising his true vocation one has to develop all of the abilities that belong to his or her Monad.
When one develops all of the attributes of his own individual God, and exerts for humanity his own particular vocation, then one becomes irreplaceable, insubstitutible:
If there is something truly important in this world, it is to know ourselves; yet, rare are those who know themselves. Moreover, even if the following statement seems incredible, in this life it is difficult to find a single person who has his vocational sense developed.When someone is totally convinced about the role that he has to perform in his existence, he then makes an apostleship, a religion out of his vocation, thus, becoming—as a fact and by his own right—an apostle for humanity.
The one who knows his vocation, that is, the one who manages to discover it by himself, passes through a tremendous change. That one no longer seeks for success; little is his interest in money, fame, and gratitude. He finds bliss in the enjoyment granted by the fact of having responded to an intimate, profound, and unknowable call of his own internal Essence.
The most remarkable fact of all this is that the vocational sense has nothing to do with the “I,” and even if this seems to be strange, the fact is that the “I” abhors our own vocation, because the “I” only craves for lucrative monetary earnings, position, fame, etc.
The sense of vocation is something that belongs to our own inner Essence; it is something very internal, very profound, very intimate.
Through the vocational sense, the Essence undertakes with true boldness and disinterest the most tremendous projects, risking all types of sufferings and Calvaries. Thus, this is why, it is hardly unusual that the “I” abhors the true vocation.
Indeed, it is through the sense of vocation that we march along the path of legitimate heroism, even when we have to stoically endure all types of infamies, treacheries, and slander.
When a human being can truthfully say, “I know who I am and what my true vocation is,” from that moment that individual will begin to live with true uprightness and love. Such types of people live in their work, and their work lives in them.
Indeed, the people who with true sincerity of heart can talk like this are very few, since those who talk like this are the selected, the chosen ones, who developed their sense of vocation in a superlative degree.
Thus, to find our true vocation is indubitably the most serious social problem; this indeed is the problem at the very foundation of all the problems of our society.
To find or to discover our true, individual vocation is factually equal to the discovery of a very precious treasure.
When with complete certainty and without the slightest doubt a citizen finds his true and legitimate occupation, he becomes—because of this sole fact—irreplaceable.
When our vocation corresponds in a total and absolute manner to the occupation we fulfill in life, we then perform our job as a true apostleship, without any covetousness and without any drive for being in command. Thus, when the job does not give rise within us to covetousness, boredom, or a desire to change our occupation, it brings us instead, true, profound, intimate bliss even when we have to patiently undergo a painful Via Crucis. - Fundamentals of Gnostic Education by Samael Aun Weor
When, with our consciousness, we exert the abilities of our Internal Being, of our Internal God for humanity, then we become legitimately insubstitutible because we are performing our vocation.
Only through psychologically working upon ourselves, through performing the Religare, through uniting our consciousness with God, does the development of our vocation become possible.
For instance, the Archangel Raphael is a Master of Science and Medicine. In their own way, the people of this Ray should become great physicians, like Paracelsus or Hippocrates.
Beethoven’s vocation was music – when the soul develops its vocation these people no longer seek fame, they do not care about money. They are like the bee making honey: they enjoy their work.
This is how we come to understand that when someone is not performing their own vocation, they are always coveting, wanting to be more, wanting to be above others, wanting to be somebody in this world through covetousness.
We must be what our internal God is. We must not covet our neighbour’s goods because our neighbour has his or her own treasures, his or her own wealth. Our Internal God has his own wealth: “Thy Kingdom come…”
In Matthew 19-34, Master Jesus states, when talking to those initiates who walk the Fourth Way:
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what shall ye put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are ye not much better than they?
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his (spiritual) stature?
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little Faith?
Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
For after all these things do the Gentiles (from the circle of the Kingdom of Confusion of Tongues) seek: for your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of (your Internal) God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
In this present society, we always find people coveting what does not belong to them, what does not belong to their Essence, their Being, their Spirit.
While you are on the path each of you has to develop that which is necessary in your own way. We should not covet Ecstasy or the development of Powers just because somebody else has them. We should not covet the powers of Moses or of Jesus, or wish to do the same things.
When we covet the goods of any Master we develop another type of spirituality called Phariseeism.
The Pharisee always feels that he is good, and these feelings of goodness come from the many things that do not belong to his Internal God. When trapped within pride, the consciousness always covets everything that does not belong to her Internal God.
The humbleness of the consciousness rejoices in the poverty of the Spirit; everything else is added unto her by God.
We have to annihilate the ego, since the ego is the one that covets that which does not belong to the Spirit. Let us discover our own vocation. We need to work with patience.
Unfortunately, we work the jobs that do not correspond with our vocation. That is why society is a mess: no-one’s job corresponds to their vocation. People are not happy, and so they are always looking for something else.
Mahatma Ghandi found his vocation: lo and behold, here is an example of someone whose consciousness was in tune with his Internal Being! But there is only one Mahatma Ghandi, and we must not covet his holiness.
We have to discriminate all of these things; the egos inside of us are coveting the goods of our neighbour. We have to discover the causes of envy, lust, pride, etc. We have to perform the Religare; we have to remove all these things that are not necessary for our Being.
We have to comprehend what things are needs related to our Work, and what things are just desires related to our ego. When we accumulate what we do not need, we do it because of envy or greed towards our neighbour.
We steal, slander, and blaspheme when we covet our neighbour’s goods, because we neglect our own spiritual goods, the goods and wealth of our own Monad.
We have to discriminate: this is the virtue of Malkuth. But we are always coveting the goods of the neighbour, whether it is related to our Inner Being or to the goods of the ego.
This is the commandment of the physical world. When we walk the path, we develop the treasures in Heaven that belong to our Being.
When things were bad for Ghandi, he would examine himself and see what was wrong with himself, not with others. He would fast and meditate. He worked on himself. But the ego always sabotages our vocation, so we have to discriminate our own particular egos.
Only by accumulating treasures in heaven - in other words, only by developing our own interior vocation - do cease to covet our neighbour’s goods.
For where your treasure is, there shall your heart (or consciousness) be also.
The one who criticizes his neighbour does so out of envy, out of coveting the neighbour’s spiritual and physical goods which do not belong to him. This attitude shows a total lack of love towards that person’s Internal God; it shows ingratitude and ignorance towards his own spiritual values that are in the hands of his Interior God.
This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepted thy works.
Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.
Live joyfully with the wife whom thou love all the days of the life of thy Vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou take under the sun.
Whatsoever thy hand finds to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou go. - Ecclesiastes 9:3-10
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. - Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14
God gives. The sun shines without caring or coveting, because God is infinite abundance.
