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Advanced Course in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism252
upward in the scale of life. We must cease to be tied to the gratification of
the senses—the soul has higher pleasures awaiting it. The pleasures of the
senses are all right in their place—they have their offices to perform in the
evolution of the soul—but the soul must beware of allowing itself to be
tied to them, as its progress will be retarded if it does so—useless baggage
must be cast aside as the soul mounts the upward path—light marching
order is the proper thing. The ties which bind you to sense gratification
must be boldly cut, that you may go on your way. Therefore “Kill out desire
for sensation.” Remember, the precept does not say that you should kill out
sensation—only the desire for sensation. Neither desire sensation, nor run
away from it as an evil thing. Turn sensation to good account, by studying
it, and learning its lessons, that you may see it for what it is really worth, and
thus be able to drop it from you.
As the eighth precept tells you: “Learn from sensation, and observe it;
because only so can you commence the science of self-knowledge, and
plant your foot upon the first step of the ladder.”
This does not mean that you should yield to sense-gratification in order to
learn its lessons—the advanced soul should have passed beyond this stage.
Sensations may be studied as if from the outside, and it is not necessary
to indulge a sense in order to learn the lesson it has to teach you. The
real meaning of this last precept is that when we find that we experience
certain sense feelings—sensations—we should weigh, measure, gauge and
test them, instead of viewing them with horror. These things are a part of
us—they come from the Instinctive Mind, and are our heritage from our
previous lowly states of existence. They are not bad in themselves, but are
simply unworthy of us in our present stage of development. They are the
shadows of our former selves—the reflection of things which were proper
and natural in us in our more animal states, but which we are now outgrowing.
You may learn great lessons by noting the symptoms of these dying sensemanifestations,
and thereby will be enabled to cast them away from you
sooner than if you allow yourself to fear them as the manifestations of an evil