Theos-Talk Archives (October 2002 Message tt00099)

Oct 13 2002

Dear Friends:

If we take the theosophical viewpoint as a basic one: We are the
immortal MONADS the Pilgrims of eternity, then the question of
forgiveness and forgetting wrongs becomes academic. How can an
immortal which is ONE WITH THE UNIVERSAL ONE SPIRIT harm or hurt
another such immortal with identical properties and qualities?

The foundation is THE ONE SPIRIT.

The appearance today of our forms is material and that changes -- so
it is illusion.

Why does this ONE SPIRIT the MONAD incarnate? Not for itself surely
as it has already attained the complete wisdom of understanding. It
incarnates for the benefit of the "Monads of lesser experience." We
as the "Lower Mind," (as minds, attached to the desire principle that
is selfish and isolated) are under tuition. If we can get this
clearly based in our understanding, then the ethics and practice that
Theosophy advocates becomes reasonable and clear.

If we learn to look on adversity, accident and the imposition of false
values as our own KARMA returning to us the experiences we earlier had
subjected others to, then we will realise that we are experiencing
only that which we owe to Nature in the process of restoring
equilibrium and redressing wrongs WE DID.

If on the other hand we look on others who unfortunately make
themselves the vehicles for the return of our "bad" Karma, as causes
we have to revenge ourselves on, we merely perpetuate the evil cycle
of this kind of karma and have learned nothing. It would be better to
study Buddhism as a philosophy and particularly the DHAMMAPADA -- the
"Footfalls of the Law" of the Buddha.

Theosophy does provide a view of our great evolutionary learning
process. It needs not be argued on, but understood. The lower mind
argues. The HIGHER MIND seeks to make the road of life smooth for
all. Wisdom is its plane. Ignorance and confusion of duty is the
plane of the LOWER MIND. ( Kama-Maas).

Best wishes,

Dallas

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-----Original Message-----
From: Larry
Sent: Sunday, October 13, 2002 10:45 AM
To:
Subject::Right, wrong, fear,to forget and to remember

A further reflection on C and D comments on forgiveness:

Very often we see the concept of forgiveness linked with another
concept,
that of forgetting.

Forgive and forget.

What is forgiveness really? Is it not the idea that we no longer seek
retribution? We won't go on some "eye for an eye" vendetta against the
person who wronged us. We won't take them to court and sue them for
all
they're worth. Society may still try them and bring it's owm concept
of
justice into play and the eternal law of Karma with seek to balance
the
scales, but personally we seek vengence, no blood fued, with that
individual.

But having put that aside and said "I forgive, do we still" hold a
remembrence of the wrongdoing in our hearts? Though we no action
against
that person, does our mind still fester with the thoughts of hatred
towards him? Do we loath the very sight of him?

This harkens back to the comments of G on K's teachings. It is all a
factor of living in the present. We all change. We are not the person
we
were yesterday. But memory would make it so. The hate we feel for a
person who wronged us is the hatred of a person no longer there. He
has
changed and we have changed. That which we hate is only an illusion.
We
are told that we can learn to look at that hate, examine it, and learn
to
dispell it. By living in the present we can learn to see the other
person
as they now are and not for what once was.

Larry