Theos-Talk Archives (January 2002 Message tt00235)

January 14, 2002


Question:	CAN WE HELP OTHERS AFTER OUR DEATH?


Answer:	Theosophy teaches that the Spiritual Ego the "Real
Thinker" in each of us is an immortal being.

It is the Reincarnating Ego, and survives every "death" of its
past "personalities" and the physical bodies that it used. It
has also been named the Monad (in reality, during manifestation
it is a "Triad." ATMA - BUDDHI -- MANAS or, Spirit,
Wisdom and Mind ).

With the Spiritual Ego is associated the sense of "I-ness." This
in our embodied brain-mind gives the consciousness of being a
unit, and is the source, when exaggerated, of "selfishness."
Also, there will be found included there the character, the
virtues, the ability to reason logically and the desire to seek
for "causes." It desires to know why it is here, and where it is
to go, and how does it make good choices.

The temporary bodies and personalities that it uses life after
life are the result of the way in which it chose to lead its life
in the past. This past includes not only the "past lives," but
also whatever we have of learning and experience and choosing in
this life right up to the preset moment.

Theosophy teaches [ see KEY TO THEOSOPHY (HPB) and the OCEAN OF
THEOSOPHY (W. Q. Judge) -- as both books teach this doctrine in
detail -- available, on-line, through
http://.www.blavatsky.net ) that when the body dies, its material
(as the "life atoms" or Skandhas) becomes dispersed and
reabsorbed in the earth, air and water around it.

The Personal man (consisting of selfish concepts, desire,
passion, acts, and words) makes a temporary form (called the
Kama-Rupa, or form of desire) with the "astral-body" -- an
electro-magnetic force field of sorts. And it lives for a short
while -- a few hours to a few months or even years (depending on
the nature of our desires and passions held in our last life) in
that condition, and then, this temporary form dissipates. This
has been called the "Second Death." During this period a
separation of the "good" from the "bad" impulses recorded in
memory is made. The "bad" is left behind in the Kama-Rupa and
the "good" is taken by the Reincarnating Ego into the
introspective state of Devachan

Both Kama-Loka and Devachan are "subjective" personal states and
as the subject there is our past life, we (as the Real Spiritual
Ego) are unaware of what may be happening to our near and dear
ones after the event of our death. So we may not be aware of
their condition while they are still embodied. Our focus is made
sharply on how we have lived our last life up to the time of our
physical death.

Passing now to Devachan, it is a "subjective" state and not an
"objective plane or place." There the Immortal Ego meditates on
the memories of all it had done that was ideal, altruistic,
generous, lawful and good during the last life and incorporates
this into its permanent character.

As every least good impulse is reviewed and assimilated this
takes a long time (an average of about 1500 years for us humans
at the present time). This gives us an average cycle of
reincarnation of abut 15 centuries. Obviously the exact length of
time varies with each Individual. It is said that it can be (in
the case of children) very brief -- a few weeks, months or
ears -- to a very long period of between 5 to 10,000 years in
the case of those who are very spiritual, and who do much good to
others during their last life.

During this period of our stay in Devachan, the ideation of the
Devachanee continues to spread like a beneficent influence
throughout the worlds, and adds generally to the "good." Some
of this benevolence is said (like the feelings of a mother for
her children) to act (if Karma permits) as a kind of shield that
helps those of the last family. But this is not done
consciously. We must remember that the Wise, and the Good do
this all the time, and if we would do good to others, it is not
limited to words and deeds, but also to our thinking; and we can
do general good in terms of influence, the whole time we are
alive, as well as after death.

The good we diffuse is non specific, and cannot be channeled or
aimed at specific individuals alive or dead, says Theosophy. So
the "help" which the Wise constantly radiate is like the SUN. It
showers good on all. So do all humans, whether alive or dead. A
Prophet, a Reformer, or a Great Teacher comes under Karma to a
specific place and time and works with the individuals there who
need and recognize Them. Through them his influence is spread to
humanity as the years pass.

Nothing in Nature is done haphazard or by chance. Karma always
operates in all things. It is the law of balance and
compensation. Great Teachers come when a nation or a race needs
them, and some crisis has developed. In the case of H. P.
Blavatsky, if we study her works we will see how, over the past
125 years, the "Manas and the Buddhi" of our race has received a
change in its orientation. We are now considering the moral as
well as the ecological effects of our civilization in its
politics, industries and ways of doing business and government.
We can either help or hinder this movement by our decisions.
This is the area of brotherhood that Theosophy was provided to
more sharply define.

As an additional fact offered by Theosophy we might consider:

The Spiritual Ego (The Real Thinker within) is an immortal being.
It has always existed. The reason why it lives and uses many
personalities in a long line of reincarnations stretching back
for thousands and millions of years, is that it decided very long
ago that it would sacrifice (make sacred) its happiness, bliss
and well-being for the sake of the many life-atoms that make up
all its many "personalities" and the succession of "bodies,
names, and forms..." that it has used. This is the gift of
brotherly assistance that we are able to extend to every thing in
nature that Karma brings close to us.

The responsibility of improving our own Personal natures is
essentially ours. No gift, or prayer or petition can improve
another. Each has to decide to change for themselves.

What does Theosophy do? It offers an integrated view of the
Universe, of our solar system, of our Earth and of ourselves.
This is called UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD.

It holds the position that every life-atom, whether it is
enclosed in mineral, plant, animal or a human form has a
spiritual center and there it is at unity with the SPIRITUAL
WHOLE and the ONE UNIVERSAL SELF. For an immense period of years
these immortals (called also Monads) experience all the phenomena
of evolution, and continually they grow in intelligence, and
eventually become humans (Minds) with the responsibility of
making free choices.

The "forms" of various kinds on the evolutionary spiral ladder,
demonstrate the development of consciousness and intelligence
from a general state into a progressively more focused and
powerful INDIVIDUAL. Self-consciousness is attained in the human
form, and then it goes further as it develops for itself, by
study, experiment and search, UNIVERSAL SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS.

Eventually in the human stage MIND is developed and with that the
FREEDOM to Choose. This is because with Mind, the power to
observe the workings of nature (visible and invisible) develops.
It equivalent in our analogy to the "golden Vase of light" that
the true Sun creates so as to protect and nurture living
creatures everywhere. It stands between the physical (form,
matter) and the SPIRITUAL FIRE of TRUTH.

The energies that create a form, are natural indeed, but they
lack the "fire" of SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS. The Mind has three broad
stages: 1 as a pupil, 2. as a thinker, 3. as a Seer of all
Wisdom. Mankind is in the position of being between stages 1 and
2. It recognizes the 3rd position of the Wise. In seeking to
become Wise it studies Nature.

Nature already contains all. Nature runs always by law. Nature
is impersonal, just, kind, life-supportive, and sensitive to the
needs of every one of its smallest components, as to those of its
greatest.

Mankind being of the stage of opening elf-consciousness is
impelled to discover what his environment holds for him and what
his powers are.

Theosophy is like a blue-print which opens some of the areas of
research for individual tracing and verification. Thus the
question you ask leads to a review of the doctrines of Theosophy
and to a practical evaluation of them in our own minds before we
employ them for experimentation.

There is of course far more to this, and no doubt there will be
more questions and contributions on this important subject.