Theos-Talk Archives (September 2001 Message tt00187)

Wednesday, September 19, 2001

Dear Friends:


Let us ask how Karma works?

If Karma rules the world and all beings in it, everyone of us
(near or far) has some connection to this violent stupefying
tragedy.

But, as pointed out, famines, unsanitary living conditions and
shortage of medical attention is killing tens of thousands in
remote areas of the world almost weekly. The unfortunate part of
this is that they have no spokesmen, no voice, nothing to
proclaim their need and evoke our mercy and charitable response.
They do not have the advantage of continuous and conspicuous
publicity. A very small quantity of dedicated and interested
citizens pay attention on a continuous basis to these matters.
"Out of sight--out of mind."

But when, symbolically and actually, a high profile tragedy
abruptly unfolds before us -- one which rivets our personal
attention with horror, and, brings our whole country (and a large
portion of the financial world) to a halt for almost a week -- we
are galvanized to doing something about it.

Are we going to find out the basic cause, or are we going to seek
to retaliate at the level of our ignorance, on what we assume is
the proximate cause -- which ignorance is evident, at present, by
the quite blurred, and uncertain knowledge we have of the cause.

I would certainly endorse what Ramprakash has said.

If non-violence as a response can be used then that would be the
ideal solution.

At the moment great resentment prevails. The kind of faith in
non-violence that great Men such as the Dalai Lama or Mahatma
Gandhi, of Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan of Afghanistan, of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. exemplified is rare. We wonder at it. We do
not understand it well as we have,. Most of us, been brought up
in an atmosphere were religious, political and economic feuds
prevail.

No rational "reason" is seen for the apparently random
destruction of lives (on the 'planes and on the ground, in and
around the buildings).

I also understand the caution and care with which the American
Government says it is using before proceeding. But to proceed in
a retaliatory fashion is, in my opinion, is substituting a great
TERROR for a cowardly horror, or am I wrong? We cannot afford to
appear the bully after all our efforts at maintaining and
sustaining the peace.

How can any one be absolutely sure that they have found the final
and absolute focus for this act? How can Karma best be served by
us, who are survivors?

We do not have all the information. Nor will be ever probably
secure it.

So, if we finally act on some approximation, we but spread out
the curse of tragedy and draw in a still wider circle of innocent
victims -- Victims whom we select because our anger finds no
one, final focus. Pre-judgment by suspicion, by acclaim and by
consensus is still vague and potentially inaccurate. Two
"wrongs" do not make a "right."

To have confidence in a Universe ruled by impartial and exact LAW
is the one thing that supports non-violence. If we agree that
the Spirit in Man (the ONE SPIRIT being Universal, and hence
being shared in by all of us) makes each of us immortals, then,
by merely destroying the bodies, there is no way that a balance
can be achieved, and harmony restored by one set of partisans
fighting, maiming and destroying some other set.

But how do we extend the hand of friendship and understanding?
America has a real problem. With its obvious military and
technological might, the potential of operating anywhere on earth
exists. How is this going to be used? What is the WISDOM that
has to be practised?


Best wishes,

Dallas

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



-----Original Message-----
From: Ramprakash [mailto:ult_blr@vsnl.net]
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2001 2:05 AM
To:
Subject: Re: a question...


There can be no doubt that the universe is governed by rigid
justice which
adjusts each effect to the cause which produced it, and, in the
human
relations, it is in the nature of retribution and compensation
and
equilibrization of disturbed harmony. The powers that rule the
world are
agents of Karmic and Kosmic laws and not arbiters of a cruel,
vengeful god.

So every event in our life, even the apparently trifling and
fleeting,
have an occult significance, as pointer to the cause which
produced it, the
meaning it holds for us, the lesson it is conveying. This is the
basis of
omens. The wise are able to read from the Book of Life or Nature
as a
living experience. In our ignorance and blindness we may not be
able even
notice small but significant events occuring before us, let
alone learning
lesons from them. But that every event is the result of an
underlying
pattern, a hidden paradigm, a Cosmic order there can be no doubt.

If some one has hurt me it is evident that it is the result
of a cause I
myself had instituted which is now returning upon me. Similarly,
help and
benefit I receive from others is the exact result of my past
action in
conformity with the the well-being and harmonious progress of
all, and of
especial benefit to some fellow-man.

So the hands that smites me is none other, strictly, than
mine own.

Having been hit, and knowing this law of my being, what Do I
do ?
Retaliate ? If I were to retaliate, I would be acting contrary to
my
conscience and what I perceive to be true. But once this truth is
a
deep-rooted conviction in me, I will bear no ill-will towards my
apparent
enemy ; on the contrary entertain charitable thoughts towards
him, and when
the opportunity presents itself, do some thing good and
beneficail to him,
irrespective of whether it strikes a sympathetic chord in him or
not. What
have I achieved by such theosophical response ? I have (1)
reduced in one
go by a third the force of antipathy which we two--me and my
apparent
enemy--had generated in the past ; (2) When we meet in some
other life as
surely as sun rises in the morning, the force of antipathy
between us,
because of my charitable attitude in thought and action in the
previous
life, recurs but with a reduced strength and potency, and
accompanied by the
tendency in me to return good for evil done--which is tremendous
Karmic
gain--and I repeat the charitable treatment of my detractor ; (3)
when we
meet again in some life again the ancient antipathy between us
will have
lost most of its potency, with the opposite tendency of good-will
having
gained considerable strength and force ; and (4) at last my enemy
will turn
round and act as my benefactor.

HATRED IS CONQUERED BY LOVE.

This is not a mere theory. It is the law of our being and
we will do
well to heed it and apply actively in our life.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is living exemplar of this
Law Eternal.
We can learn invaluable lessons from closely observing his
actions and
listening to his words of wisdom and how he is actively applying
the
principle of Non-violence to the catastrophic destruction of his
Home Land
by the Chinese.

Americans are crying hoarse at the suffering that has
befallen them and
baying for the blood of their enemies who perpetrated the crime
on them.
Just compare the magnitude of the American debacle with what has
befallen
the Tibetans : Ethnic and cultural genocide, total destruction of
Tibetan
environment having been made a dumping place for nuclear wastes
and what
not, killing of hundreds of thousands of Tibetans by the Chinese,
colonisation of Tibet by Chinese. Yet the HH the Dalai Lama has
not a trace
of animosity towards the Cinese or the Chinese administration,
but on the
contrary, full of charity and compassion.

HH The Dalai Lama narrated an instance : A holy monk of a
particular
monoastery, after twenty or so years of torture and humiliation
by the
Chinese in Tibet managed to reach India, Dharmashala. When the HH
Dalai Lama
asked him what was the most dangerous part of his internment in
Chinese
prison, the Monk replied that he had come close to losing feeling
of
good-will and love for his Chinese tormentors and that he was
glad that the
calamity was averted--he has not lost compassion for them.

Now HH the Dalai Lama is advising the American administration for
non-violent approach. He is saying it not as a theological theory
but by the
force of living example of his own life and the of the few
million strong
Tibetan followers of his who hold him in highest reverence and do
his
bidding.

As a contrast what has the Pope done except to utter useless
prayers and
masses and meaningless rituals, full of hypocritical solemnity.
Has he
applied the doctrine of Love and Charity of Jesus the Christ and
called for
the application of the doctrine of Jesus to the situation : to
forgive
seventy seven times seven number of offences an enemy might
carryout on us,
to do good in return who would harm us ? If not, how can he pose
himself as
the Vicar of Christ, the intermediary between the "Faithful" and
Jesus "the
one God" ? Pay lip service to the Son of Man and practice the
Mosaic law of
Eye for an Eye and Tooth for a Tooth in the literal sense. If
Jesus is not
followed why does the church calls itself Christian ? That's the
paradox.

CUT