Chapter 4 - Flowers

"Do not give your attention to what others do or fail to do; give it to what you do or fail to do." -line 50

AL I:40. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
AL I:41. The word of Sin is Restriction. O man! refuse not thy wife, if she will! O lover, if thou wilt, depart! There is no bond that can unite the divided but love: all else is a curse. Accursed! Accursed be it to the aeons! Hell.
AL I:42. ...So with thy all; thou hast no right but to do thy will.
AL I:43. Do that, and no other shall say nay.

Here, Buddha emphasizes working on the self and not bothering with other peoples' Wills. Crowley writes in his commentary to AL I:31, "It is necessary that we stop, once for all, this ignorant meddling with other people's business. Each individual must be left free to follow his own path." This is the Thelemic complement to this simple Buddhist teaching. He comments further on AL I:41-42, "Interference with the will of another is the great sin, for it predicates the existence of another. In this duality sorrow consists. I think that possibly the higher meaning is still attributed to will." In this sense, infringing on the Will of another is a sign of living in a state of duality, "confounding the space-marks" (AL I:51). He also says, "Anything soever that binds the will, hinders it, or diverts it, is Sin. That is, Sin is the appearance of the Dyad. Sin is impurity." It is stated clearly in AL I:41 that "The word of Sin is Restriction" - to restrict another's Will is the highest "sin" in Thelema, therefore one should endeavor to discover & manifest one's own Will and leave others to do the same.

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"Like a lovely flower, full of color but lacking in fragrance, are the words of those who do not practice what they preach. Like a lovely flower full of color and fragrance are the words of those who practice what they preach." -lines 51-52

AL III:42. Success is thy proof: argue not; convert not; talk not over much!
AL III:46. Success is your proof; courage is your armour; go on, go on, in my strength; & ye shall turn not back for any!

Once again, Buddha explains that 'actions speak louder than words,' to use a modern aphorism.

The reference to flowers reminds me of Liber Tzaddi in which these lines occur:
24. My disciples are proud and beautiful; they are strong and swift; they rule their way like mighty conquerors.
25. The weak, the timid, the imperfect, the cowardly, the poor, the tearful --- these are mine enemies, and I am come to destroy them.
26. This also is compassion: an end to the sickness of earth. A rooting-out of the weeds: a watering of the flowers.
27. O my children, ye are more beautiful than the flowers: ye must not fade in your season.

To Buddha, a person who practices what they preach is "a lovely flower full of color and fragrance." In Thelema, a person who is "proud," "beautiful," "strong," "swift," and "rule[s] their way like might conquerers" is like a flower. In line 27, the speaker (presumably Nuit), tells us that we "are more beautiful than the flowers" in that we do not "fade in [our] season" - perhaps a reference to the understanding of the permanence of a Star and the formula of the Crowned & Conquering Child that death is seen as one experience to grow even more from instead of a tragic event. In the context of Buddhism, this conquering is directed inwards towards the self and hte "weak," "timid," "imperfect," "cowardly," "poor," and "tearful" thoughts within oneself.

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"A true follower of the Buddha shines among blind mortals as the fragrant lotus, growing in the garbage by the roadside, brings joy to all who pass by." -lines 58-59

AL II:9. Remember all ye that existence is pure joy; that all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass & are done; but there is that which remains.
AL II:20. Beauty and strength, leaping laughter and delicious languor, force and fire, are of us.
AL II:24. Behold! these be grave mysteries; for there are also of my friends who be hermits. Now think not to find them in the forest or on the mountain; but in beds of purple, caressed by magnificent beasts of women with large limbs, and fire and light in their eyes, and masses of flaming hair about them; there shall ye find them. Ye shall see them at rule, at victorious armies, at all the joy; and there shall be in them a joy a million times greater than this. Beware lest any force another, King against King! Love one another with burning hearts; on the low men trample in the fierce lust of your pride, in the day of your wrath.
AL II:35. Let the rituals be rightly performed with joy & beauty!
AL II:66. Write, & find ecstasy in writing! Work, & be our bed in working! Thrill with the joy of life & death! Ah! thy death shall be lovely: whososeeth it shall be glad. Thy death shall be the seal of the promise of our age long love. Come! lift up thine heart & rejoice! We are one; we are none.
AL III:46. I am the warrior Lord of the Forties: the Eighties cower before me, & are abased. I will bring you to victory & joy: I will be at your arms in battle & ye shall delight to slay. Success is your proof; courage is your armour; go on, go on, in my strength; & ye shall turn not back for any!
Liber Tzaddi, line 44. [My adepts] shall be masters of majesty and might; they shall be beautiful and joyous; they shall be clothed with victory and splendour; they shall stand upon the firm foundation; the kingdom shall be theirs; yea, the kingdom shall be theirs.

Crowley comments on AL II:9, " The nature of events must be "pure joy;" for obviously, whatever occurs is the fulfilment of the Will of its master. Sorrow thus appears as the result of any unsuccessful - therefore, ill-judged - struggle. Acquiescence in the order of Nature is the ultimate Wisdom." Existence is understood to be "pure joy" in Thelema and sorrow is from ignorance - of the true nature of existence and of one's own Will. Both in Buddhism & Thelema, one is to be a beacon of joy and to spread this to others. In Liber Tzaddi, Nuit says that Her adepts will be "beautiful and joyous" - in Liber AL Nuit often promises joys. These qualities of beauty and joy are those of Tiphareth, the Qabalistic sphere of Sol, which symbolically means these are achieved when one has Knowledge & Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel in Thelemic terms.

In AL II:24, the Hermits of Thelema are found "at rule, at victorious armies, at all the joy; and there shall be in them a joy a million times greater than this." AL II:35 commands us to perform rituals with "joy & beauty," which can refer to every event in life. AL II:66 tells us to "thrill with the joy of life & death!" - we find joy in both life & death, knowing them to be two parts of the same process. AL III:46 promises that Ra-Hoor-Khuit will bring "victory & joy." Essentially, being a source of and in a state of joy is fundamental to Thelema


Chapter 5 - The Immature

"The immature are their own enemies, doing selfish deeds which will bring them sorrow. That deed is selfish which brings remorse and suffering in its wake. But good is that deeds which brings no remorse, only happiness in its wake. -lines 66-68

AL II:17. Hear me, ye people of sighing!
The sorrows of pain and regret
Are left to the dead and the dying,
The folk that not know me as yet.
AL II:18. These are dead, these fellows; they feel not. We are not for the poor and sad: the lords of the earth are our kinsfolk.
AL II:19. Is a God to live in a dog? No! but the highest are of us. They shall rejoice, our chosen: who sorroweth is not of us.

In chapter 2 of Liber AL, Hadit explains that "sorrow," "pain," "the poor," "the sad," and "regret" are not of Him. "They shall rejoice, our chosen: who sorroweth is not of us," He proclaims. In Thelema, we do not specifically avoid actions which might be deemed "selfish" though actions which bring "remorse and suffering in [their] wake" would perhaps be shunned. Another way to look at it is that actions are not shunned but the attitude taken in experiencing and reflecting upon them is crucial - a person may perform a "selfish" deed but only those who are "not of us" will find sorrow, pain, and regret therein. When one has performed an action, looking back with "pain and regret" would be admonished. Again, qualities of "joy" are to be nourished and qualities of "pain" and "sorrow" are to be eliminated.


Chapter 6 - The Wise

"Good people keep on walking whatever happens. They do not speak vain words and are the same in good fortune and bad." -line 83

AL I:42. So with thy all; thou hast no right but to do thy will.
AL I:43. Do that, and no other shall say nay.
AL II:35. Let the rituals be rightly performed with joy & beauty!


Crowley comments on II:35, "Let us be practical persons, not babblers of gossip and platitude." One who is doing their Will does not pay attention to others' criticism, nor do they criticize others and "speak vain words." Again, Crowley's commentary on AL I:31 says, "It is necessary that we stop, once for all, this ignorant meddling with other people's business. Each individual must be left free to follow his own path." We must follow our own path no matter what insults or praise come from others and we must leave others to follow their own path and not praise, insult, blame, gossip, babble, or speak vain words.


Chapter 7 - The Saint

"[The saint] has completed his voyage; he has gone beyond sorrow. The fetters of life have fallen from him, and he lives in full freedom. -line 90

AL II:9. Remember all ye that existence is pure joy; that all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass & are done; but there is that which remains.

The saint is the person who has reached a certain degree of self-realization - perhaps Master of the Temple who has crossed the Abyss of duality in the Qabalistic grade-system. One who "has gone beyond sorrow" could be said one who has attained to the viewpoint of Hadit, who does not know sorrow (or knows it to be illusion - "shadows" that "pass & are done" (AL II:9). The truest freedom is to do one's Will. As it is said in Liber II, "From these considerations it should be clear that 'Do what thou wilt' does not mean 'Do what you like.' It is the apotheosis of Freedom; but it is also the strictest possible bond."

Chapter 8 - Thousands

"Better than a speech of a thousand vain words is one thoughtful word which brings peace to the mind. Better than a poem of a thousand vain verses is one thoughtful line which brings peace to the mind. Better than a hundred poems of vain stanzas is one word of the dharma that brings peace to the mind." -lines 100-102

AL I:40. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
AL I:42. Let it be that state of manyhood bound and loathing. So with thy all; thou hast no right but to do thy will.
AL I:43. Do that, and no other shall say nay.
AL I:44. For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.

AL I:42 states clearly that "thou hast no right but to do thy will." In this sense, "a thousand vain words" are those thousand paths of multiplicity which are not your Will.
These lines of Buddha's reflect that it is better to reduce the multiplicity to a unity to "bring peace to the mind." The goal in the Buddhist sense is complete control of a peaceful mind - in Thelema it is to reduce the multiplicity of the lower will(s) into the unified one-pointed focus of the True Will. A line like Buddha's might be "better than a will of a thousand desires (or purposes or objects of focus) is one will that is pure & delivered from lust of result."


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"One who conquers himself is greater than another who conquers a thousand times a thousand men on the battlefield. Be victorious over yourself and not over others. When you attain victory over yourself, not even the gods can turn it into defeat." -lines 103-105

AL II:21. We have nothing with the outcast and the unfit: let them die in their misery. For they feel not. Compassion is the vice of kings: stamp down the wretched & the weak: this is the law of the strong: this is our law and the joy of the world. Think not, o king, upon that lie: That Thou Must Die: verily thou shalt not die, but live...
AL II:49. I am unique & conqueror. I am not of the slaves that perish. Be they damned & dead! Amen. (This is of the 4: there is a fifth who is invisible, & therein am I as a babe in an egg. )
AL III:3. Now let it be first understood that I am a god of War and of Vengeance. I shall deal hardly with them.
AL III:4. Choose ye an island!
AL III:5. Fortify it!
AL III:6. Dung it about with enginery of war!
AL III:7. I will give you a war-engine.
AL III:8. With it ye shall smite the peoples; and none shall stand before you.
AL III:9. Lurk! Withdraw! Upon them! this is the Law of the Battle of Conquest: thus shall my worship be about my secret house.
AL III:11. This shall be your only proof. I forbid argument. Conquer! That is enough. I will make easy to you the abstruction from the ill-ordered house in the Victorious City. Thou shalt thyself convey it with worship, o prophet, though thou likest it not. Thou shalt have danger & trouble. Ra-Hoor-Khu is with thee. Worship me with fire & blood; worship me with swords & with spears. Let the woman be girt with a sword before me: let blood flow to my name. Trample down the Heathen; be upon them, o warrior, I will give you of their flesh to eat!

These three lines in the Dhammapada are very powerful and extremely important if one is to look at Liber AL through Buddhist eyes. Buddha clearly says that conquering must be turned inwards. In AL II:49, Hadit announces himself as "unique" and he who conquers. Crowley comments on this line saying, "We are to conquer the Illusion, to drive it out. The slaves that perish are better dead. They will be reborn into a world where Freedom is the Air of Breath. So then, in all kindness, the Christians to the Lions!" He says plainly that "illusion" is that which is to be conquered - illusion could be seen as an improper view of the Self & the universe, not understanding it to be "pure joy" (AL II:9).

Chapter III of Liber AL is filled with references of war & conquering. AL II:21 talks about "stamp[ing] down the weak & the wretched." In light of these lines in the Dhammapada, one would understand this line to mean to stamp down the weak & wretched parts of oneself - those parts where are not in unity with the Will and those thoughts which are divisive and not concerned with the object at hand.

AL III:3-8 instructs us to choose an island, fortify it, dung it about with the enginery of war, and we will have a "war-engine." To a Buddhist, this implies that the Self is an island, fortified against unwanted thoughts. The enginery of war is one's own ability to control actions, speech, and especially thought. In Liber Turris vel Domus Dei (Liber XVI), Crowley gives instructions in the elimination of thought. This Liber is under the number of 16, the Tarot Trump called "War" or "The Tower" which is ruled over by Mars (destruction). In this sense, War is directed towards the thoughts in practical exercises. Essentially, Crowley is symbolically acknowledging that this "War" is against one's own Self - especially thought.

"The peoples" of AL III:8 would represent the thoughts and multiplicity of Will that one is eliminating - Crowley clearly states in his commentary "Ye shall easily suppress invading thoughts." He then says that the "Lurk! Withdraw! Upon them!" of AL III:9 may refer to Liber HHH, section 3 but then he later vaguely says, "Lurk! Withdraw! Upon them!" describes the three parts of a certain magical gesture indicative of a formula which has proven very powerful in practical work." Either way, Crowley takes these lines to refer to an internal process of War.

Essentially, this idea of conquering is the conquering of the self. Conquering means self-discipline and control, especially in the realm of thoughts. Buddha tells us in the very first lines of the Dhammapada that "our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think." Realizing this, we can understand the harsh severity that is needed in conquering our own thoughts to "shape our minds" like the Buddha says the wise do in chapter 6.


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"Better to live in virtue and wisdom for one day than to live a hundred years with an evil and undisciplined mind. Better to live in goodness and wisdom for one day than to lead an ignorant and undisciplined life for a hundred years. Better to live in strength and wisdom for one day than to lead a weak and idle life for a hundred years. beter to live in freedom and wisdom for one day than to lead a conditioned life of bondage for a hundred years." -lines 110-113

AL II:20. Beauty and strength, leaping laughter and delicious languor, force and fire, are of us.
AL II:21. ...Nuit! Hadit! Ra-Hoor-Khuit! The Sun, Strength & Sight, Light; these are for the servants of the Star & the Snake.
AL III:17. Fear not at all; fear neither men nor Fates, nor gods, nor anything. Money fear not, nor laughter of the folk folly, nor any other power in heaven or upon the earth or under the earth. Nu is your refuge as Hadit your light; and I am the strength, force, vigour, of your arms.

Discipline, wisdom, and strength are expounded as admirable qualities by the Buddha. These are equally true for Thelema. Discipline is necessary to perform the Will one-pointedly. Wisdom is needed to see through illusions. Strength is needed to conquer fear the weak parts of the self. Strength is a natural expression of one doing their True Will.


Summary

Parallels between Buddhism & Thelema include that they both recognize:

*the necessity of paying attention to one's own Will and leaving others to perform theirs without Restriction
*actions speak louder than words - the proof of your development is in your practice, your success
*one should be a boundless source of joy to conquer sorrow, pain, and regret
*"good" deeds are those that bring happiness and joy and "bad" deeds are those that bring sorrow, pain, regret, and division. In Thelema the only real "good" deed may be said to be "love under will" - an action of True Will.
*the necessity of remaining true to one's Will no matter what praise or blame comes one's way
*the necessity of refraining from vain speech including gossip
*one must strive to transcend sorrow and attain true freedom
*things that are unnecessary and irrelevant distract one from doing one's Will
*conquering oneself is paramount (especially thoughts), not conquering others
*wisdom, strength, and discipline are qualities to embody