THE MOTIVE.

The value of a disciple’s act lies in his motive. The motive is to the act as life is to the body and light to the eye. As the body without life or the eye without light is useless, so the acts of a disciple without a pure motive are mere forms. With the Seers, forms are denial and destruction, not faith and salvation. A valid motive arises from purity, as rays from the sun and sparks from the flame. When the motive is not biassed by worldly attractions, it is called ascetic purity by the Sûfîs. When the motive is not biassed by heavenly attractions, it is called spiritual purity. It is said that the motive of a man is according to his knowledge and wisdom. If desire and love of the world predominate in the heart of a man, all his acts will be worldly—even his prayers and fasts. If desire and love of heaven predominate in his heart, all his acts will be heavenly—even his eating and sleeping. Again there are others, of loftier aspiration, caring neither for earth nor for heaven, but for God only. All acts done by such men will be purely divine . . . .

A disciple should always be careful to purify his motive and to get out of mere forms. For this, he should obey the instructions of a Teacher, His motive, though in the beginning mixed with hypocrisy and insincerity, will ultimately be purified by obeying His instructions … The disciple should act as the earth, so that the Teacher may act as the sky—wet him with His rains, warm him with His sun, shade him under His clouds, perfume him with the fragrant breeze of His compassion—and thus help his growth.—Letter 31.