Don't cut your hair

Peter Deunov was a Bulgarian spiritual teacher, whose ideas sound strikingly similar to Theosophy and Anthroposophy, at least judging by the Wikipedia entry on this almost unknown personage. His followers call him Master Beinsa Douno.

Unfortunately, the book "Love Wisdom Truth" is a collection of short aphorism-like excerpts from Peter Deunov's lectures, offered without any context whatsoever. It may be suitable for followers of the Master, perhaps as food for meditation, but it's of little use to outsiders. Most of the statements sound trite and trivial: "In man's life where Love does not reign there, greed will be born", "It is wise to manifest goodness and foolish to manifest badness", "Man must be three things: good, reasonable, and loving". Often, Deunov alludes to the Sermon on the Mount, making his advice sound pacifist and, frankly, unrealistic. But then, we've heard that before, too.

Occasionally, Deunov uses terminology borrowed from Hinduism or Buddhism: Maya, Nirvana, karma. However, the only religious scripture referenced or alluded to in these excerpts is the Bible. Jesus is treated as a real historical person, who was killed and rose again. Yet, Deunov also states: "There is no historical Christ, there is no cosmic Christ, but there is one living Christ of Love, Who lives now in our souls - in every noble motive inside our souls. This one is the living Christ (the love, and the noble motive). Whether He is in the heart of a simple man, or a judge, or a poor man, or an animal - it is the same". The three words Truth, Wisdom and Love are always rendered with capital initial letters, suggesting that they are some kind of theological terms, but their meaning is never explained in this collection. Deunov also states at several points that Love is connected to suffering, and that one can't get it without suffering. But then, what exactly is Love?

Some statements in the collection suggest a magical or slightly weird world-view. Music is very important, somehow reflects the heavenly realms, and everyone who doesn't learn it can't enter heaven. Men should have long hair, since this attracts positive cosmic energies. (Interestingly, only Master Beinsa Douno has long hair on the photos in the book. All other men on the pictures wear their hair short-cut!) If you don't have the Truth, you will get stomach ache, and a lack of justice leads to lung disease. Killing is absolutely prohibited. Was Peter Deunov a vegetarian?

I might consider reading some other works by this author, but this particular collection, self-published by a Bulgarian follower living in California, wasn't very helpful for my purposes.