Scale of living beings

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SCALE OF LIVING BEINGS

The following is a scale of livings, by which we can estimate our position among them. And for those of us who have not yet reached the right attitude or fourth stage of development where soul outweighs matter, this scale is followed by three processes through which we must pass to get the right attitude, also by some thirty-five rules of life which will prevent us from falling spiritually and will bring us to the right attitude.

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This table is read upwards, and is a division by dichotomy. The meanings of the names in the same order are as follows:

Embodied Liberated

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Those embodied ones Those who have done

who have not stopped so. (This is only a

the activity of body, momentary state just

mind and speech. before passing to

liberation.)

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Living beings with Living beings with

imperfect knowledge perfect knowledge,

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Those who still have Those whose intoxicating

the intoxicating elements have

elements. disappeared.

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Those in whom the Those in whom it is

intoxicating elements under control, or at

are actually seen the bottom, like mud

manifesting. in a clear brook.

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Those who realize only Those who realize

rough sub-divisions of delicate sub-division

their intoxicating ele- such as more and

ments, anger, pride, less intense degrees

greed, etc. of anger, etc.

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Those who are without Those who have a

any system of working method by which they

out their intoxicating systematically work

elements. out their intoxicating elements.

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Those who have not yet Those who have

obtained any control obtained a partial

over their minds and control.

senses.

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Those who have not yet Those who are in the

reached the right right attitude of

attitude of mind mind.

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Those who have not yet Those who have cut

cut the knot of worldly it.

attachment

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Those who have not Those who have got

potentiality to reach such potentiality

liberation. to reach liberation.

This table is read upward thus : There are those living beings who have got potentiality to reach liberation, and those who will not. Of those who have got such potentiality there are those who have cut the knot of worldly desires, and those who have not..... There are those living beings who have reached liberation, and those who have not; but they are all living beings.

With regard to those living beings whose nature it is not to reach liberation ever, the idea is that there are very few of them; that they find it no misery to remain in the embodied state; and that if there is any feeling of regret at the idea of never reaching liberation, then the being who feels such regret is not of this class of living beings, but is of the class that has got potentiality to reach liberation.