Theos-Talk Archives (December 2001 Message tt00461)

Thursday, December 20, 2001


Re: EVIL -- some Quotations from Theosophical Literature

Dear Gopi:

Continuing this effort to locate what you had read on EVIL, I
came across:


EVIL - Source and cure


"Archaic philosophy, recognizing neither God nor Evil as a
fundamental or independent power, but starting from the Absolute
ALL (Universal perfection eternally), traced both through the
course of natural evolution to pure Light condensing gradually
into form, hence becoming Matter, or EVIL."
S D I 73


"We Theosophists, say that "good" and "Harmony," and "Evil" and
Disharmony are synonymous. Further we maintain that all pain and
suffering are results of want of Harmony, and that the one
terrible and only cause of the disturbance of Harmony is
SELFISHNESS in some form or another. Hence 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." Key, p. 207


"Evil is an infraction of the laws of harmony governing the
universe..." (H P B quotes J. H. Connelly -- Key, p. 209 )


"Good and Evil are twins, the progeny of Space and Time, under
the sway of Maya. Separate them by cutting off one from the
other, and they will both die ...both must be known and
appreciated before becoming objects of perception, hence, in
mortal mind, they must be divided."
S D II p. 96.


"He that chooses evil refuses to look within himself and shuts
his ears to the melody of his heart, as he blinds his eyes to the
light of his soul. He does this because he finds it easier to
live in desire."
LIGHT ON THE PATH, p. 23


The Mahatma, writing to Mr. A. P. Sinnett said:

"The real evil proceeds from human intelligence and its origin
rests entirely with reasoning man who dissociates himself from
Nature. Humanity then alone is the true source of evil. Evil is
the exaggeration of good, the progeny of human selfishness and
greediness. Think profoundly...the origin of every evil whether
small or great is in human action, in man whose intelligence
makes him the one free agent in Nature....Food, sexual relations,
drink, are all natural necessities of life; yet excess in them
brings on disease, misery, suffering, mental and physical, and
the later are transmitted as the greatest evils to future
generations, the progeny of the culprits. Ambition, the desire
of securing happiness and comfort for those we love...are
praiseworthy natural feelings, but when they transform man into
an ambitious, cruel tyrant, a miser, a selfish egotist they bring
untold misery on those around him; on nations as well as on
individuals....Therefore it is neither nature nor an imaginary
Deity that has to be blamed, but human nature made vile through
selfishness. Think well over these few words; work out every
cause of evil you can think of and trace it to its origin and you
will have solved one-third of the problems of evil. And now...I
will point out the greatest, the chief cause of nearly two thirds
of the evils that pursue humanity ever since that cause became a
power. It is religion under whatever form and in whatever
nation.... Ignorance created Gods and cunning took advantage of
the opportunity...It is belief in God and Gods that makes
two-thirds of humanity the slaves of a handful of those who
deceive them under the false pretence of saving them. " MAHATMA
LETTERS , pp 57-8.


"The very first act that was selfishly done was the origin of
evil so far as that being is concerned."
FRIENDLY PHILOSOPHER , p. 231.


"Free-will can only exist in a man who has both mind and
conscience (Buddhi), which act and make him perceive things both
within and without himself."	Trans p. 25


"We regard ourselves as Units, although essentially, we are One
Individual Unit -- drops in the Ocean of Being, not to be
distinguished from other drops. Having then produced this cause,
the whole discord of life follows immediately as an effect, in
reality, it is the endeavor of Nature to restore harmony and
maintain equilibrium. It is this sense of separateness which is
the root of all evil." Trans. p. 80.


"It is the misuse of powers that is spiritual iniquity -- EVIL."
S D II pp. 302-5


"...by making ourselves porous, so to speak, to the influences
from the Higher Self ( ATMA) and by living and thinking in such a
manner as will be most likely to bring about the "aim of the
soul." This leads unerringly to virtue and to knowledge, for the
vices and passions eternally becloud our perception of the
meaning of what the Ego [Buddhi-Manas] tries to tell us.

It is for this reason that Sages inculcate virtue. Is it not
plain that, if the vicious could accomplish the translation of
the Ego's language, they would have done it ling ago, and is it
not known to us that only among the virtuous can the Sages be
found?" Judge Articles, I p. 293


"...sin is the lack of conformity to some regulation [of Karma or
Nature's Laws]...."
W Q J PRACTICAL OCCULTISM, p. 180.


Well, I hope that some of these may prove to be helpful,

Best wishes,

Dallas

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





-----Original Message-----
From: dalval14@earthlink.net
Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2001 9:32 AM
To:
Subject: Evil Quotes on -- from THEOSOPHY

Thursday, December 20, 2001

Dear Gopi:

I do not recollect exactly what you are looking for.. It is a
god idea to keep your own note-book and record passages under
subject headings that might be useful for the future. I make
myself do this all the time.

S D I 113 has some good statements on the ONE

If I recall correctly, there is a statement made ( I cannot
locate it just now) that the "SUNDERING OF THE ONE" (producing
differentiation ( DUALITY -- TWO ) was the first "evil."

But it was also explained that this division into DUALITY was
essential for evolution and the development of mind.

But this does not mean placing "evil" is a single form. Neither
it, nor "Good," can be personified.

In other words there is no PERSONAL GOD and no PERSONAL DEVIL.
Nor is it possible to put "Good" into a single form.

Both of these are everywhere. Monads fill the boundless void.
They are ATMA-BUDDHI, always combined and neutralizing each
other.

Yet they are also the fundamentals of LIVING NATURE and are
present everywhere.

Think of the MONAD: ATMA and BUDDHI, combined and intertwined
with MIND as the middle and impartial observer and actor, ever in
between. In the case of the 3 GUNAS that form Sri Krishna's
"lower nature," you have SATTVA ( spiritual purity ), RAJAS
(mind and emotions ), and TAMAS (inertia, ignorance and material
forms ). [ see BHAGAVAD GITA ( Sri Krishna) Chapters 14 and
17 ).

CUT