Theos-Talk Archives (October 2002 Message tt00135)

Oct 15 2002

Dear Jerry:

As I see it, much of our differences arise from the way we use words.
I don't see that ideas vary so much. We might phrase things
differently, though.

Everything depends on what we choose as a basis for thinking, as
usual.

What do you mean by "exoteric" or "esoteric?"

"Law and order" is to my mind the SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTMENT ( I say
UNITY )you describe. that which includes all dualisms. It reconciles
them.

If we are able to achieve this then brotherhood is our normal
condition and not the reverse.

Karma neither "good" or "bad" it is (as an impersonal law of balance
that encompasses the whole of nature) it is invariable.

It is like a living wall, returning to us the ball we just batted
against it.
The angle and speed, at which the ball returns is determined by the
way we did
the aiming.

Nature is that super-sensitive wall, it is made up of all the
uncountable "little lives" -- sub-atmic forces and powers -- and on
analysis, we can see that every one of the "little lives" -- the so
many Monads -- is a small life we affect by our choices.
How does this work? All Nature has great and small laws. All tend to
progress. It is but natural that nature shares out some of her
responsibilities to those parts of her being that are developing the
power to think and to choose. We (as minds) are in such a situation,
each of us, as humans. Our embodied minds feel and think. The two
faculties need t be disentangled as we can use them clearly.

But we are also evolving. We are not "perfect." We are evolving at
this stage out of the region of Kama (desire and instinct) into the
region of the Higher Mind where Buddhi or Wisdom operates, and assists
the embodied human Mind, to become a DIVINE MIND like itself.

The above that I describe takes care of our errors and gives us an
opportunity to redress them, and learn. Of course there is more
emphasis in our way of feeling on the things that hurt, rather than on
those that are pleasant -- and which most accept as a "windfall" or
our due.

We either make them (the little lives) into an improvement or we
mishandle and misshape them. They have the faculty of immediate
response to any energy directed at, or through them. Thus one of
these faculties is memory, and another is their adaptability and
pliability, as they will accept and adopt any shape we may mentally
assign them to. -- as memory, in a general way, we can say they serve
us now and in the future. If we misshape them, then the effect will
be that they, acting as our faithful instruments, distort and blur
our future perception and capacity of action.

Incidentally at the end of the little book LIGHT ON THE PATH there is
a splendid illustrative essay on karma. It is well worth a read. I
think it is available on line through BLAVATSKY NET.

Best wishes,

Dallas

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

-----Original Message-----
From: gschueler
Sent: Monday, October 14, 2002 8:48 AM
To:
Subject: Re to Dallas

I try to ignore Dallas's posts, but every now and then they are so
outrageously exoteric that I feel the need to jump in and comment:

<<<<<Re: When there is knowledge, there is no fear.>>>>

Knowledge brings fear, it does not end it. "Perfect love casts out
fear."

<<<Lets take it that Law rules everywhere.>>>

I would consider this to be an assumption that gets a lot of folks
into
trouble. Law and order is only one side of a dualism, the other being
lawlessness or chaos. The above statement is exactly like saying "lets
take it
that Light shines everywhere" which ignores darkness, or "lets take it
take
good is everywhere" which ignores evil, and so on. When one side of a
duality
is ignored, sooner or later it will bite you big time until you
finally give
it some attention. This line of thinking -- of holding on to one side
of a
duality and ignoring the other side -- is exactly why I left Christian
Science. Christianity tends to be very dualistic. Theosophy does not
have to
be.


<<<If we agree then the application of that law solves problems >>>

How can grasping onto one side of a duality and ignoring the other
side solve
anything? Spiritual enlightenment is all about uniting dualities.

<<<Our goal is to attain individually to "Sublime Perfection," to a
totality of WISDOM and RIGHT ACTION.>>>

IMO, such a goal is unachievable, and cannot be done. There is no such
thing
as "individuality" because there are no closed systems anywhere in our
7-plane
universe.

<<<Hence BROTHERHOOD is the BASIC LAW OF BEING. No exceptions.>>>

While I agree with the statement, I am troubled by the so-called logic
that
gets us here -- how can "individuality" achieve "brotherhood?" Very
illogical
to me. Brotherhood to me, is commonality, not individuality.

<<<Individuals move constantly to new positions for their learning
processes.>>>

This very moving necessitates change, and because they change they are
not
permanent even for a second, and because they are not permanent they
are
mayavic illusion.

<<<Law (KARMA) pervades all places and things, and it is impartial,
universal,
just, generous and fair.>>>

Karma is impartial. It is universal in that it applies to our 7-plane
solar
system (but not to any other). The idea that karma is "just, generous
and
fair" is a human invention (wishful thinking?) that has no basis in
"fact" at
all. Nature couldn't care less about being "fair."

<<<We all get exactly what we dole out to others. That is a statement
of the
operation of Karma.>>>

I think that such a statement is again wishful thinking. I would say
rather
"we all get approximately what we dole out to others." The idea that
karma is
an exact science is a human conceptualization and it totally ignores
chaos or
a causality. Because of the Chaos Factor, karma never exactly balances
anything, but can be said to be relatively close.

<<<There is no "escape hatch" for any one.>>>

The above can be viewed in at least two ways, and using it to ignore
or
disregard liberation from karma is a self-defeating shot right into
one's own
foot.


<<<No one can be permanently "killed." The form may be destroyed, but
the
Spirit/Soul survives and reincarnates. We will meet those
individuals again in some future life or lives until our differences
resolve
themselves in understanding and brotherhood.>>>

When those "differences resolve themselves" then where will our
"individuality" be? While I agree that no one can be killed, I would
say that
there is no inherent "person" to kill or be killed in the first place.
The
"Spirit/Soul" or Reincarnating Ego is permanent relative to a single
human
being but temporary and fleeting relative to the non-dual Monad.
Blavatsky
tells us that this lasts only for the period of a manvantara -- not so
long in
the overall scheme of things.

<<<Morality and ethics are universal.>>>

Wow, what a statement! Where are they but in the human mind? If you
can point
to them anywhere else, I will change my whole worldview to account for
them.
My mind boggles at the images of a moral mountainside, an ethical
pansy, a
moral tuna fish, an ethical badger, a moral rainbow, an ethical
pasture, a
moral lightning storm, and so on.

I think that this is enough. Have a nice day,

Jerry S.