Theos-Talk Archives (December 1997 Message tt00080)

The issue of organ transplants raised by Richard Hiltner in recent
Theosophy World is interesting and worth further consideration.

> The question thus arises whether the donated organs attract
> psycho-magnetically the kama-rupa and therefore prolonged the
> stay in kama-loka? Also, would this "living" organ tend to
> enhance the consciousness of the kama-rupa in the lower,
> "nightmarish" levels of kama-loka?

> Other questions arise if the donor committed suicide or was
> killed by an accident. H. P. Blavatsky relates that these
> individuals will not be able to leave "earth's atmosphere"
> [albeit, in a unconscious or chaotic dream state] until there
> normal life span has expired. Are these donors more drawn to the
> earth sphere? Are they tempted more than usual by mediums or
> "channelers" to abnormally return to this earth and create more
> "negative" karma?

> Looking at the other side of the coin, does the recipient of the
> organ affect both negatively and positively the life-atoms of the
> donor? It is acknowledged in theosophy that various organs are
> associated with different element-principles, such as the liver
> being related to the kamic or desire element-principle. Taking
> this as an especially appropriate example of affecting both the
> recipient's kamic element-principle as well as a direct
> relationship with the donor's kama-rupa, one can see all kinds of
> possibilities. It is also well known that a number of liver
> transplants are done due to alcohol toxicity, including
> cirrhosis, etc.

Death occurs when Linga-Sarira which is the intermediary between
Prana and physical body permanently separates from the latter and
will disintegrate in short time together with it except in case of an
adept.

The problem that never arose in former time is that now we can
preserve not only organs but also the whole body even though there
is permanent and total cessation of brain function, does Linga-Sarira
still attach to such body?

My opinion is that even in this case of brain death with living body,
Linga-Sarira completely detached from it, the use of external device
and chemical replace its function in pumping Prana into the body and
sustain it, at least temporary.

K.H. in his comments on Eliphas Levi's article "Death", agreed with
its author about the policy of not preserving corpses as in burying
the dead but in the context of Levi's reasoning that their
reflections in the astral light cause the specters of the nightmare,
of hallucination and fear, not that the partially preserved body
has any ability to attract its other principle.

Whether man dies a natural, intentional or sudden death, without
intact Linga-Sarira there is no link of his organs, preserved or
living (transplant), with Kama-Rupa or other principles although
Kama-Rupa is always within the attraction of "earth's atmosphere".
It is in the same sense that after second separation, the Ego in
Devachan has no awareness or any connection with the folly of its
shell in Kama-Loka. The drawing together of life atoms and Tanhic
elemental will occur only at the new building of Astral Form within
the Auric Envelop after the Ego quit the Devachanic state.

Exceptions may occur in the case of extremely degraded person who
died from sudden death, the strong cohesion of Kama-Rupa with
Linga-Sarira makes it decay very slowly thus enables it to absorb
energy from its victim to sustain its state along with the physical
body or this degraded entity may has some awareness of the
physical plane and the process of dismembering of his physical
body and cause injury or obsession to person concerned out of malice.

When we lose an organ the associated higher center and Linga-Sarira
is still preserved such as when our heart is replaced with
mechanical device or our leg is amputated, sometimes we still sense
the lost organ as phantom limb. The reverse condition also holds,
the recipient of organ transplant receives only organized matter not
its related principle. In fact HPB in her later teaching gave little
importance to the physical body, considered it as Maya, not principle
at all.

It's true that an organ or tissue can store magnetism of its owner
and this can have certain effect on the recipient but this attached
negative or positive aspect is not inherent in the organ and will
be overridden by the recipient's own magnetism in a short time.

The physical body is always in the state of change as all other
inner bodies, attracting and emitting atoms appropriate to its
level, unconsciously in normal person otherwise in occultist.
So the transplanted organ which has its own vibration, life atoms
and sensation (except the heart) in due time will be replaced by
new vibration and life atoms in harmony with the body, its old
life atoms, mostly emitted, will make further journey or wait for
the return of their previous master.

Total body transplant is also possible, some occultists use
this procedure of "forceful projection into another residence"
when his allotted time on earth comes to an end. In this case
it is Linga-Sarira and all other five principles that revitalize
and take control of the deserted body. Tsong-kha-pa gave detail
of the process in his elucidation of "Six Yogas of Naropa".

Broadly speaking there seems to be no need to worry about the
psycho-magnitically aspect of organ transplants, ethical problem
is more difficult to solve. This procedure, as all other
sophisticate interference with law of nature, if perform with
any selfish motive, ignorance or carelessness will result in
grave consequences.


Visanu