A real disciple is one who seeks to follow the inner divinity at all costs.
Of the many people who aspire to spirituality in the world, most of them live in the realm of the mind, the intellect, and the mental plane; that is, they live in the head. Of the few who have found the Spirit of Truth in their lives and follow that Spirit, we can say that they live in the heart. Living in the head and living in the heart constitute two significantly different attitudes towards life.
When we live in the head, we are focussed in the realm of thought — of what we know to be so by virtue of our intellectual understanding. We are in search of philosophical truth. We are comparing one set of thoughtforms against another set of thoughtforms in order to come to some conclusions. We are evaluating what pieces of information are true and which are not. But when we live in the heart, we understand that nothing can be directly known by the mind; rather, it is the Wisdom of the heart that is followed in life. When we live in the heart, we realize that Truth only exists by virtue of its having its origin in Reality — in the divine Universe. There is, therefore, nothing to compare or evaluate, because when Truth is known the nature of illusion is also known, and the wise disciple will simply reject the illusion and embrace the Truth rather than seek to rationally deduce the truth by the power of their own minds.
When we live in the head, we seek knowledge and understanding. We seek to grow mentally and expand our range of thought. When we live in the heart, we are in search of Truth rather than knowledge, and these are not the same thing. Human knowledge and understanding is not Truth, cannot be Truth and will never be Truth, for Truth is of the divine Universe and does not exist in this fallen realm of mind and body. Those who live in the heart are not searching for knowledge, for they know that all knowledge of every kind is but a pale shadow of the divine Reality. No words can express that Reality... but it can be experienced. And when it is experienced, then and only then do we come into an awareness of Truth.
When we live in the head, we make decisions for ourselves about what we shall do and what our actions may be. We deem ourselves to be the ones who will decide where we should put our efforts, and the goal of that effort is always the improvement of the self in some way, shape or form. When we live in the heart, we look to the divine Will to guide us and direct us as to where our effort should go. We trust in Spirit's Wisdom and in God for our direction in life. We therefore cast aside all fear for ourselves, all fear of the future, and all personal concern, for it is transcended by the blessing of God in our lives. The goal of all our efforts is then the fulfillment of the divine Will, rather than the personal will.
When we live in the head, we seek guidance from books, teachers, and organizations. We look to some outer authority for the meaning of our lives. We are looking to the world for truth. When we live in the heart, we seek guidance only from the Spirit within. The Wisdom of Spirit is our inner authority in all things. When that Wisdom is known and understood, then we can discard all of our books without hesitation, for we realize that everything that we might ever need to know is already within us, and we have no need or desire to search for that knowledge elsewhere. Indeed, we understand that at best all a book can do is inspire us to seek that divine Wisdom within us. As long as we seek through books and teachers we are on the wrong track, for there is nothing for the self to do except surrender.
When we live in the head, we cooperate with others from the level of the mind and the personality. This results in the formation of the teacher-student relationship, the leader-follower relationship, the guru-chela relationship, the Master-disciple relationship, etc. in which one mind imparts knowledge to another mind. When we live in the heart, we cooperate with others from the level of inner sensitivity to Spirit. This results in a relationship between people that is devoid of those qualities that following the head fosters. The group life is contacted, and in that group there are no teachers, no students, no leaders, no followers, no gurus, no chelas, no Masters, and indeed no disciples — not in the usual sense that has hitherto been understood in the esoteric schools — for a real disciple is one who seeks to follow the inner divinity at all costs. Our contact with the teacher, the Master, and the Hierarchy is not the primary factor in such an effort. Indeed, most people are distracted by the idea of contacting the teacher, or are confused because they expect to be taught. But there is nothing to be taught except the need to listen to Spirit in all things, to surrender to God, and to stop striving for self. From this, all else will follow.
When we live in the head, we feel that we are the determining factor in shaping the future that we experience. When we live in the heart, we have surrendered to the divine Will. We have given our lives up to God. We have sacrificed the self for the sake of Truth. As a consequence it is the Spirit in our hearts that is the determining factor in shaping our future experience. And divine Guidance will surely lead us where we need to go.
When we live in the head, we feel that we are the ones who are controlling our lives, and we visualize ourselves improving that life through our study, meditation, and service. When we live in the heart, we are no longer concerned about increasing our knowledge through study, advancing our evolutionary status through meditation, or healing the world through our service because these actions constitute a focus upon our self, the ego, and the lower nature. This is the opposite of the consciousness we have when we have surrendered to God, as our focus is then solely upon divinity, the divine Plan, and the need of humanity. We may then nevertheless study, meditate, and serve, but not for self. Study is not for increasing our knowledge and understanding, but for uncovering those factors needed for the expression of Spirit. Meditation is not for self development and evolution, but for coordinating the group effort. Service is not for helping humanity — humanity can no longer be helped except through divine intervention — but for the purpose of fulfilling God's Will in this world despite humanity's every effort to resist it.
When we live in the head, the teachings that we discover are interesting theory. Many people spend their lives finding the latest new book and teaching, and enjoy adding yet another set of thoughtforms to their mental collection. But the heart calls us to action, to put what we know to practical purpose, and apply it in daily life. Philosophy is meaningless if not lived. Faith without works is dead. When, therefore, the spiritual life is truly lived, we are not following a teaching but are instead responding to our inner guidance. When we hear Spirit's voice in the heart, that voice inevitably calls us to action, to work for the Plan, to fulfill divine Purpose, and to participate in the group life. And life becomes meaningless without our fulfilling divine Purpose. We are driven to work, to action, and to deeds because they have become a necessity for life.
We are called, therefore, to renounce the head and live in the heart, so that both head and heart may work together as a worthy instrument of the divine Will.