Three explanations exoteric, mesoteric or esoteric.

Acquired From Google.com

1. The students do not have to be secretive about it, but
at the same time they should explain it according to
the inner development of the listener.
Whoever is interested, should get one of three
explanations:

From PD Ouspensky’s In Search of the Miraculous:
Esoteric
“The inner circle is called the ‘esoteric'; this circle
consists of people, each one of whom possesses
individuality, high knowledge and is near the level of
consciousness possible for man. They cannot perform
actions opposed to their understanding or have an
understanding which is not expressed by actions. At
the same time if all of them reach the fullest level
possible in the esoteric circle – there can be no
discords among them, no differences of
understanding. Therefore their activity is entirely co-
ordinated and leads to one common aim without any
kind of compulsion, because it is based upon a
common and identical understanding.”
“The next circle is called the ‘mesoteric,’ that is to say,
the middle. People who belong to this circle possess
all the qualities possessed by the members of the
esoteric circle with the sole difference that their

2. knowledge is more of a theoretical character. They
know and understand many things which have not yet
found expression in their actions. They know more
than they do (their knowledge is still intellectual).

Their understanding, compared with the
understanding of the esoteric circle, is more
theoretical.”
“The third circle is called the ‘exoteric,’ that is, the
outer. The people who belong to this circle possess
much knowledge of that which belongs to people of
the mesoteric circles, but their consciousness is more
of a philosophical character, that is to say, it is more
abstract than the knowledge of the mesoteric circle.
Their understanding is not being expressed in
actions.”
In common usage, esoteric means the inner, or more
advanced aspect of a spiritual teaching. Exoteric
means the outer form of a teaching, one that is shown
to the public.
A member of an esoteric school should talk to the
mechanical and exoteric level people in a language
which fits their level of understanding.
The outer circle or exterior men corresponds to the
default state of regular men and is not concerned with
esoteric work. In this circle it is rare to meet
individuals who precisely understand the person who

3. is trained in an esoteric school. People who do not
belong to an esoteric school all see the world through
thick lenses of subjectivity (and via intellectual
knowledge), and they do not comprehend higher
levels of knowledge. For them the level of knowledge
they can relate to is the exoteric level, or ‘common
knowledge’ level.
The exoteric circle is the outermost circle of interior or
consciously working men. The understanding of
exoteric men is theoretical; they understand
intellectual knowledge which is exoteric. If a member
of a school meets someone who can understand
mesoteric knowledge, it is mainly through reading.
Here is an interesting diagram of this 3 levels of
knowledge, in the great religions:

“The esoteric circle consists of the persons who are
already in the realm of high consciousness. But they
should not speak esoteric language to those who

4. belong to the outer 3 circles. The outer circle is the
circle of mechanical humanity.
The first sign of this circle is that among people who
belong to it there is not and there cannot be a
common understanding. Everybody understands in
his own way and all differently. No one understands
another and takes no trouble to be understood.
If people belonging to this circle become conscious of
this general lack of understanding and acquire a
desire to understand and to be understood, then it
means they have an unconscious tendency towards
the inner circle because mutual understanding begins
only in the exoteric circle and is possible only there.
So that the possibility for people to understand
depends on the possibility of penetrating into the
exoteric circle where understanding begins.”

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