It is essential, it is indispensable, to develop cognitive creativity, because this brings true freedom of living to human beings; yet, it is impossible to attain the authentic faculty of profound critical analysis without comprehension.
Teachers of schools, colleges, and universities must guide their students along the path of cognitive self-criticism.
So far, in our former chapter, we widely studied the processes of envy; sequentially, if we want to terminate all of the shades of jealousy—whether this is religious or passionate jealousy, etc.—we must attain complete cognizance of what envy really is, because only by comprehending in depth and in an intimate manner the infinite processes of envy can we be done with all types of jealousy.
Jealousy destroys marriages, jealousy destroys friendships, jealousy provokes religious wars, fratricidal hatreds, assassinations, and all types of sufferings.
Envy with all of its infinite shades is hidden behind sublime purposes. Envy is hidden within those who after having been informed about the existence of sublime saints, Mahatmas, or Gurus, also desire to become saints. Envy is hidden within the exertions of that philanthropist who wants to surpass other philanthropists. Envy is hidden within every individual who covets virtues because in their mind they have the information or they have the data about the existence of sacred individuals filled with virtues.
Envy is the foundation of the desire of being a saint, of the desire of being virtuous, of the desire of being grand.
Saints have caused much harm with their virtues; this brings to our memory about the case of a man who considered himself to be very saintly. On a certain occasion, a starving and miserable poet knocked at the door of this saint of our story, in order to place in his hands a lovely verse especially dedicated to him. The poet waited… in exchange, he only wanted a coin in order to buy food for his exhausted and aged body.
The poet imagined many things, but never an insult. Thus, great was the poet’s surprise when that saint, with a pitiful look and wrinkled temple, closed the door in his face after telling the unfortunate poet, “Get out of here my friend, get out, get out… I do not like these things, I detest flattery… I do not like the vanities of this world; this life is an illusion… I follow the path of humility and modesty.”
Yes, the unfortunate poet received—like a slap on the face—an insult, a rude word to hurt, instead of the coin that he wanted from the saint; thus, with his aching heart, and the lyre shattered into many pieces, he withdrew slowly… slowly… slowly… along the streets of the city.
The new generation must edify itself on the basis of authentic comprehension, because this is totally creative.
Memory and remembrance are not creative. Memory is the grave of the past. Memory and remembrance are death.
True comprehension is the main psychological factor of total liberation.
The remembrances of the memory can never bring us true liberation because they belong to the past, and therefore, they are dead.
Comprehension does not belong to the past nor to the future; comprehension belongs to the moment in which we are living, here and now, whereas memory always implies the notion of the future.
It is essential to study science, philosophy, art, and religion; however, these studies must not be entrusted to the fidelity of memory, because memory is not faithful.
To store knowledge within the tomb of memory is an absurdity. Yes, it is stupid to bury within the crypt of the past the knowledge that we must comprehend.
We can never pronounce ourselves against studying, against wisdom, or against science; however, to store the living jewels of knowledge within the rotten grave of memory is an incongruity.
It is necessary to study, investigate, and analyze, but we must profoundly meditate in order to comprehend within all of the levels of the mind.
A truly simple man has a simple mind, yet he is profoundly cognitive.
What is important in life is not that which we have accumulated within the tomb of our memory, but that which we have comprehended—not only in the intellectual level, but also within the different unconscious, subconscious levels of the mind.
Science and knowledge must be converted into immediate comprehension. When knowledge and studies have been transformed into authentic cognitive creativity, we can then comprehend any thing at once, because comprehension becomes immediate, instantaneous.
Complications do not exist within the mind of a simple man, because all the complications of the mind have their source in the memory. The Machiavellian “I” that we carry within is accumulated memory.
The experiences of life must be transformed into true comprehension; when experiences are not transformed into comprehension, then they continue to exist within the memory as the putrefied constituents of a tomb, upon which the luciferian and fatuous flame of the animal intellect is infamously glowing.
It is necessary to know that the animal intellect—totally deprived of all spirituality—is merely the verbalization of memory, which glows as the fire of a sepulchral candle upon a tombstone.
The mind of a simple man is free from experiences, because these have become cognizance; they have been transformed into cognitive creativity.
Death and life are found intimately associated. The plant sprouts only when the seed dies; likewise, comprehension is born only when experiences die. This is a process of authentic transformation.
A complicated man has his memory filled with experiences. This shows his lack of cognitive creativity, because when experiences are completely comprehended in all of the levels of the mind, they then cease to exist as experiences and are born as comprehension.
Firstly, it is necessary to experience, but we must not linger on the field of experiences, because the mind then becomes complicated and difficult. It is necessary to live life intensely and to transform all of our experiences into authentic cognitive creativity.
Those who mistakenly assume that in order to be comprehensive, simple, and natural, we need to abandon the world, to live in isolated huts, and become mendicants who wear loincloths instead of elegant garments, are totally mistaken.
Many anchorites, many solitary hermits, many mendicants, have very complicated and difficult minds.
It is useless to withdraw from the world in order to live as hermits if the memory is filled with experiences that condition the flowing freedom of thought.
It is useless to live as hermits, wanting to undergo the life of saints, if the memory is stuffed with information that has not been properly comprehended, that has not become cognizance within the different nooks, corridors, and unconscious regions of the mind.
Those who transform intellectual information into true cognitive creativity, those who transform the experiences of life into true in-depth comprehension, these have nothing within the memory, they live from moment to moment filled with true plenitude; they have become simple and natural, even though they might live in luxurious residences surrounded by urban life.
Children under seven years of age are full of simplicity and true interior beauty because the living Essence of life—in total absence of the psychological “I”—often expresses itself through them.
This, our lost infancy, must be re-conquered within our heart and within our mind. Yes, we must re-conquer innocence if we truly want to be happy.
When experiences and studies are transformed into in-depth comprehension, these do not leave residues within the tomb of the memory; then we become natural, simple, innocent, happy.
In-depth meditation on our experiences and acquired knowledge, the profound self-criticism, the intimate psychoanalysis, transforms everything into a profound cognitive creativity. This is the path of authentic happiness born from wisdom and love.
Samael Aun Weor
