Old Age

After three months at the hospital, my 90 years old mother returned home yesterday (August 4th, 2013), for end-of-life care. The doctor said she probably has one or two months left.
She was doing fine until the beginning of the year, then she became bedridden, after fracturing an intervertebral disk on her lower back. In addition, she suffered aspiration pneumonia. Her oral hygiene had been maintained well, but she had aspiration pneumonia, one after another. Each time antibiotics were administered to vanish the symptoms, only until she suffers an another one in no time. Memories of my mother, with her backpack on her back, appears on my mind; and what a drastic change in her appearance now. In front of me now, is an old woman, nearly reaching death.
Out on the city streets, there are young people in shorts and sleeveless shirts.
Full of cheerful energy, they are actively making the most of the glory of their youth, going out on dates and to the summer night fireworks, and so on. Perhaps they can be compared to beautiful red rose buds, just about to bloom.
However, no matter how young and beautiful they are now, every human being will grow old, and after some numbers of decades they must all face death, just like my mother. No exceptions here, but these young people don’t breathe a word on such matter. And it is not limited to the young generation. I have seen people of more mature generations, who believe it is not even necessary to think about old age and death. What matters to them is to be in good health now, so that their lives are enjoyable now. Of course, life should be enjoyed in full; but at the same time, we must realize that human beings are spirits expressing themselves through the physical body.
From time to time, I walk along the city streets, thinking that one hundred years later, everybody that I see here walking, will all be gone from this physical world.
Maybe after two hundred years, even this city will look completely different from how it is now. It is the reality of the physical matter in the physical world. That is, although this phenomenal world may appear stable and fixed, if we were to fast forward the time, as in fast forwarding a DVD, we would see how fluid it is. I am indeed living a temporary life in this provisional world of illusions. Then I find myself thinking about the purpose of my current life on earth, the meaning of my work which takes up almost all my time, my roles, and the like. I reflect back on my still very slow progress, and tell myself again not to neglect one moment, each day.

The true meaning of “serving others”

—Appreciate the chances for spiritual development—
Mr. Wilson (Percy Wilson, a veteran spiritualist) commented:
“Long ago I was persuaded by my friends in your world to turn common ideas of service upside down. It has long been part of my vision that if I can help any people then they are doing me a service.”

Silver Birch replied:
“That is true, for they are enabling you to fulfil your destiny. Self-fulfilment is part of spiritual regeneration. The soul can express itself only when it is helping others. This is where the spiritual law is an apparent contradiction of physical laws. The more you give away of your spiritual riches the richer you are. If you desire to evolve, grow and progress, you have to forget self and serve others, but only those who are ready to be served.”
(p. 71 Lift Up Your Hearts, compiled by Tony Ortzen. Edition 2009. The Spiritual Truth Press, Surrey. First published in 1990.)

—This is a world of selfishness—
Do what benefits others (altruistic), instead of doing things for yourself (selfish). You should even be thanking the others for giving you the opportunity to do things for them. I don’t think we can find another phrase that further contradicts the common sense of the general public.
Maybe we can accept this phrase to some degree, if applying it within our own friends and relatives. But this world basically operates on the underlying motive: will it bring loss or gain to ourselves? Most of us would go no further than the plain “give-and-take”.
This basic motive of “loss or gain” is applied everywhere around the world, among denominations ranging from small to large. The smallest denomination is between individuals. Groups, organizations and companies are middle sized denominations.
At large denominations, we have countries operating with the same basic motive. It is unfortunate to see leaders of a nation expressing blunt egoistic selfishness. This is the unavoidable outcome of this physical world of mammonism and materialism, where life after death is denied, death is believed to turn everything into nothing, and wealth is believed to be gained through materialistic, monetary possessions and dominance over others.

—Altruism leads to development of one’s spirituality—
Throughout his teachings, Silver Birch explains the reality of the spirit world, and this altruism is recommended repeatedly, despite it being the complete opposite of the common sense of the general public. He even says altruism is the “the purpose of life on earth.” What is the meaning behind this?

In the case of spiritual healing, for example, when a healer provides himself as the pipeline, through which the healing forces flow, a portion of that life force will remain within the healer, according to Silver Birch. God never forgets about the healer, who performs as the agent for the spirit world.

“And as it flows through you, it always leaves behind that deposit, which stimulates your own life.”
(p. 111 Guidance from Silver Birch, edited by Anne Dooley. Edition 2006. The Spiritual Truth Press, Surrey. First published in 1966.)

—An example case demonstrating the quote at the beginning of the post—
In the case of spiritual healing, healing force thus the life force, flows through the healer and leaves a positive effect on the healer. Exactly the same principle applies to spiritualists exerting themselves to spread the spiritual truth. Let’s take a look at a specific example of Silver Birch’s words, quoted at the beginning of this post.

I try to fulfil the responsibility and obligation of those who discovered the spiritual providence and knowledge before others, by hosting my “Silver Birch study circle.”
My intention is to help those still in the darkness, just like I was once, by guiding them towards the light. In my case too, I am being served by the spirit world, just like the spiritual healer mentioned above, as “spreading the spiritual truth” is said to be “the most important and the greatest work to be done on earth.”
Being the host of the monthly study session, it is essential that I make thorough and sufficient preparation in advance, which means I must thoroughly read, study and comprehend the true meanings of the applicable parts of Silver Birch’s teaching to be read and discussed at the session. I want to make sure that after the study session, the participants will take home the wisdom of the spirit world and spirit power.
Aside from the preparation, I maintain my daily reading and studies, during which I am often guided to the parts related (linked) to the topic selected for the next study session. I obtain hints for deeper understanding of the topic in preparation in this manner. Also, at the same time, I may receive inspirations which indicate the theme and contents for my next article to be posted here.
This way, I am able to share and better explain the acquired knowledge, on the day of the study session, and also have my monthly article posted on my website. If I did not host the monthly study circle, I would be reading Silver Birch purely for my own pursuit; and thus, there would be no way that I be blessed with the series of such deep learning opportunities, which guide me to wisdom and enlightenment. The words on this post are the proof of this fact.
This type of support and assistance are the compensation from the spirit world, provided for those who strive to “spread the spiritual truth.” It is a good example, demonstrating the fact that “doing service for others directly links to one’s spiritual growth.”
Law of the universe is originally designed so that individuals exist by supporting and maintaining each other.

—In the process of spiritual development, we meet the purpose of life on earth—
“When we are doing something that serves somebody else, we are given such chance from that person.” In response to this comment by a member of the seance,
Silver Birch answered, “That is true.”
Let’s stretch the interpretation of this discussion. Let’s say there is someone who had given you an unpleasant experience, or maybe that someone is the ringleader of the trials and difficulties that you had to suffer through. In search for help and guidance, you have read Silver Birch’s teachings; and as a result of your efforts to counter the problem with faith and by putting the spiritual providence into practice, you were able to solve the problem, and gained the wisdom. Therefore, you should not only forgive that person, but also thank him, for providing you the opportunity for the valuable experience. Maybe he does not even realise that he had played the unpleasant role for you, but you were able to evolve as a result. In the end he had given you a valuable asset called spiritual growth, which is the only asset that can be taken with you to the spirit world.

—We need only the altruistic mind in the spirit world—
Of the things we need on earth, or the things we gain throughout life on earth, what will remain with us after our physical death?
In the spirit world, we have no physical body, which means foods, houses, sex, desire for dominance, companies making money and profit, and so on, will all be completely useless and meaningless. They all belong to the physical body (physical world), and along with your social positions and titles, they all vanish upon death of the physical body. As a result, selfishness (self-centeredness), which were necessary for maintaining the physical body in the physical world, will no longer be required in the spirit world; and it will be classified as the most infantile, and at the lowest level of spirituality.
Actually, selfishness is also at the bottom of the spirituality in the physical world, but it is not easily recognized so, because thoughts are invisible to the physical eyes, and there exist time.

—Things required, in order for us to practice this altruism—
In many bookstores we can find a designated section for books on the spiritual world, and books about various saints and so forth. What these books have in common are that they all mention that the soul is the “real self.” Also, they discuss the importance of philanthropy, existence of God, and encourage the readers to practice meditation.
I agree with them. But for most of us ordinary men and women, who are not exactly benevolent nor praiseworthy, it is not an easy task to forget ourselves and “do things for others,” as it is “the path to enlightenment.” In reality, not many of us can afford to do so, both physically and mentally. We may have read enough books about the the spiritual world, and understood them well enough; and maybe we are confident on the volume of our knowledge at times of peace. However, once a major emergency occurs, we find that our supposedly abundant knowledge did not help us much.
I believe many of you have had a similar experience. Why?

It is because we have not yet gained the true awareness of the “real self” (soul), nor the solid foundation of the basic spiritual knowledge.

What is God? Who am I really? What is the meaning of death, and what will happen after we pass away? The reality of the spirit world? The purpose of the physical world? Or what exactly is the objective of our current life on earth, which must include trials and difficulties? Guarding spirits and spirit guides: do they really exist? These factors and much more, must systematically associate with each other to form one stout backbone knowledge of the spiritual providence. Without this solid foundation, we have no support, no secure bedrock on which to rely ourselves and confidently stand, when the time and opportunity arise to practice the spiritual knowledge in response to serious crises. Without this bedrock of foundation, we are just like houses built on sandy soil, which easily collapse upon soil liquefaction. Our minds sway around, and the instability of the mind blocks the flow of the spirit power, which will be essential for tackling the difficult challenges by practicing the providence.

In short, the solid foundation of the spiritual knowledge as rationale and assurance, combined with faith in the providence, are the mandatory factors for those who practice altruism.
Silver Birch brings the true spiritual providence from the spirit world. His teachings are the rationale and assurance that we must have.

—Basic attitude towards altruism—
As a guideline for the basic attitude in “serving others,” Silver Birch tells us as follows:

• “By love I mean compassion, the desire to serve, to sacrifice, to help, to do all within your power for those who are less fortunate than you are.”
(p. 83 More Philosophy of Silver Birch, compiled by Tony Ortzen. Edition 2008.
The Spiritual Truth Press, Surrey. First published in 1979.)

• “All that you can individually do is to spread knowledge wherever you can.”
(p. 88 Lift Up Your Hearts, compiled by Tony Ortzen. Edition 2009. The Spiritual Truth Press, Surrey. First published in 1990.)

• “It is part of the spiritual law that those who serve are served. And it is impossible for service to be overlooked.”
(p. 22 Lift Up Your Hearts)