Theos-Talk Archives (March 1999 Message tt00174)

Mar 16th

Dear peter:

As I see it, whenever we "take our Lower-Nature" in hand to
analyze, and direct and control it, also to repress firmly but
gently any attempt of it to employ self-serving means, then we
(acting as the Higher Mind) are doing our job of retraining the
lower mind, which is our representative in this personality and
is the "brain-mind."

Unfortunately, when we say "we," we most often mean the
brain-mind of this personality and its host of wants and excuses.

I find that the trend of modern psychology is to apologize and
mitigate the situation and tell the poor little abused and
repressed "brain-mind" : "Everything is OK, baby - forget the
past.  Go out and do some more sinning.  Confess and do it some
more."  Unfortunately the law of the land does not see it so.  It
seems to consider integrity, fairness and right livelihood as the
norm.

Ideas anyone ?

Dal

================================


-----Original Message-----
From:	owner-theos-talk@pippin.imagiware.com
[mailto:owner-theos-talk@pippin.imagiware.com] On Behalf Of Peter
Merriott
Sent:	Tuesday, March 16, 1999 6:12 AM
To:	theos-talk@theosophy.com
Subject:	RE: Theos-World Forgiveness

Dear Dal, Mark & Jerry,

I think I can understand Dal's puzzlement here.

I wonder if Mark And Jerry are mixing together two different
things  -
states of mind and Karma?

As I understand it, various Buddhist and Yoga practices maintain
that the
energy associated with certain 'wholesome' states of mind can
uproot and
destroy the 'impurities', 'defilements' that exist in the mind.
However, we
also have to be careful not to re-create them.

But as far as the consequences (Karma) following on from our
prevous
actions - these remain.

The notion that we can disolve our Karma along with the
'defilements' seems,
to me, to be a variation on the Christian theme where we can live
an immoral
life, doing great harm to others, providing we have forgiveness
at the end.
Actually it is slightly worse, for what seems to be suggested is
that we
don't even have to ask for forgiveness.  We simply need to
forgive ourselves
in order to absolve ourselves of our deeds and their
consequences.

The analogy that comes to mind for me is as follows.  In his
desire to harm
others, a man fires a rocket on a nearby city.  While the rocket
is in the
air the man has a complete change of heart.  He  realises the
error of his
ways and forgives both himself and his neighbours for past harm
done.  Just
after this the rocket lands, killing many, and causing suffering
to the
lives of thousands for generations to come.

Theosophy would say that the man is still Karmically responsible
for the
consequences of his actions even if he became an Arhat in that
very
lifetime.

HPB writes in the Key to Theosophy, Section 11:

"Karma gives back to every man the actual consequences of his own
actions,
without any regard to their moral character; but since he
receives his due
for all, it is obvious that he will be made to atone for all
sufferings
which he has caused, just as he will reap in joy and gladness the
fruits of
all the happiness and harmony he had helped to produce."


Regards

Peter



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