TWENTV-SEVENTH TALK 545

But the idea that those religions are chiefly passive
and nut active probably comes very largely from the
extent to vdilch they magnify meditation, from the
fart that they proclaim that the life of the yogi, who
lives quite away from the world, is ethically the
hi^ht-t life. But you must remember that after all
Christianity tno has that. The life of the monk" or
the nun ^as always considered the highest or noblest.
It i- onlv in later days that we have come to take a
diftircnt vit-w. In the intensity of our activity in
thi^ fifth sub-race of the Fifth Root Race we are
I^Thaj^ secretly inclined to despise the monk or the
mi! i and magnify rather the man of action, the great
commander in war, the great ruler or statesman in
peace; and, thinking as we do, we are right there
acc< »rding to our lights. Thinking, as we do, almost
entirely on the physical plane, we think best of the
man who has done great things on the physical plane ;

whereas the great work of the monk or the nun
would be done on the higher plane. The whole idea
of the Contemplative Orders is a very beautiful one,
only it has very often failed of realisation and so it
has not been generally understood. The idea was
that the Active Orders of the monk and the friar
would perform acts of charity and all sorts of good
work on the physical plane, and would preach to the
people, and generally speaking carry on the active
side of the religion ; while the Contemplative Orders,
who shut themselves up and were never seen of men

35