attained to spiritual consciousness. This was especially a new doctrine to
the people to whom he was preaching, because it was considered cowardice to
fail to resent a blow. Pride of family and birth was the strongest trait in
the Arab nature.

In furtherance of this doing good to others, we find these words: "If ye
are greeted with a greeting, then greet ye with a better greeting, or at
least return it; verily. God taketh count of these things. If there be any
under a difficulty wait until it be easy; but if ye remit it as alms, it
will be better for you."

Mohammed here referred to debtors and creditors; as he was talking to
traders, merchants, men who were constantly buying and selling, this
admonition was in line with his teaching, which was to "do unto others
that which you would that they do unto you."

In further compliance with his doctrine of doing good for good's sake
Mohammed said: "If ye manifest alms, good will it be; but if ye conceal
them and give them to the poor, it will be better for you; and it will
expiate some of your sins."

Alms-giving, as an ostentatious display among church members, was here
given its rightful place. It is well and good to give openly to
organizations, but it is better to give to individuals who need it,
secretly and quietly to give, without hope, or expectation, or desire for
thanks, or for reward, to give for the love of giving, for the sole wish to
make others happy. This desire to bestow upon others the happiness which
has come to them, is a characteristic of the cosmic conscious man or woman.

It is comforting to know that Mohammed, like Buddha and The Man of Sorrows;
and like Sri Ramakrishna, the saint of India, at length attained unto that
peaceful calm that comes to one who has found the way of Illumination. It
is doubtless impossible for the merely sense-conscious person to form any
adequate idea of the inward urge; the agony of doubts and questionings; the
imperative necessity such a one feels, to _KNOW_.

The sense-conscious person reads of the lives of these men and wonders why
they could not be happy with the things of the world. The temptation that
we are told came to Jesus in the garden, is typical of the state of
transition from sense-consciousness to cosmic consciousness. The
sense-conscious person regards the _things of the senses_ as important. He
is actuated by ambition or self-seeking or by love of physical comfort or
by physical activity, to _obtain_