Theos-Talk Archives (April 2003 Message tt00067)

Tuesday, April 15, 2003

Dear Friend A:

Re: Karma and mitigation thereof


Karma operates in the whole Universe impartially. Each receives a
result or participates in some event which has for cause an action or
a choice that they made earlier.

What we may call accidents, or undeserved fortune or hardships are the
result of our own actions. The Karma is not always "punitive" it is
also sometimes a sudden gush of good fortune. We disown usually the
sorrows and pains but welcome without examination any "good fortune"
that comes unbidden to us.

The question of establishing and understanding through our equipoise
and balance, is all ours in the present and the various presents to
come as time passes.

We are the Eternal Pilgrims , and as such we have to look on the
physical situations (and resulting feelings -- pleasure and pain --
as relating not to the SPIRIT/SOUL but to the errors that our embodied
Mind linked with passionate and selfish DESIRE ( Kama) has created.

The act of restitution demands first that we make the victim aware of
our responsibility, offer such compensation and restitution as may
meet with their acceptance, and then provide it as a duty. We fear
exposing our vulnerability and the loss of reputation we will suffer.
But if we were so injudicious as to take advantage of another's
ignorance, it is due to them that we make full disclosure -- as we
would to a member of our most intimate family.

The how and the why of balancing has to be worked out by conference
with those involved. We are the perpetrators. They are the victims.
They are now placed in such a case on the same griddle we all are.
They have also to be fair to us. But we having been aggressors have
no place to demand terms. The discrimination and the discernment
ideally, ought to be in terms of fairness to all. But if we know we
were unfair, the opportunity for them to now be fair to us arises --
and we have no say about that, except to protest it, (a decisions or a
penalty) if it appears unjust.

In other words, we are all involved in adjusting under Karma.
Restraint and good will on both sides are demanded and if not
afforded, then the karma of unbalanced and ungenerous decisions will
follow those who make them.

The most difficult thing for us to grasp, as transcient living beings,
is that our SPIRIT/SOUL is immortal. KARMA acts on the PERSONALITY,
(the mask we wear this incarnation) and the physical body is one
aspect of that, along with a second aspect: our feeling nature ( the
sensitive psyche -- a combination of mind and emotion).

Do you have for reference a copy of THE .LIGHT OF Asia -- by Sir Edwin
Arnold on the life and teachings of the Buddha? In Book the 6th are
detailed the "vices" that afflict us all -- and the Buddha's response.
Book the 8th details the 4 Truths, and the virtues. It is a good book
to consider and familiarize ones' self with.

Your questions will be found answered there.

I will look to see if I can find anything more to help.

best wishes,

Dallas


-----Original Message-----
From: Andra
Sent:	Tuesday, April 15, 2003 6:48 PM
To:
Subject:	Re::Guidance and Discernment

Dear Dallas,

Thank you so much for your response. I understand the concept of
forgiveness and also the responsibility a soul has to give prompt
restitution.

If a soul becomes conscious of an act that was very hurtful to
another
soul within the same lifetime and wishes to make restitution to
balance that
deep injury, how can the proper restitution be discerned? Is there
guidance
that can be given?

Does the Universe include a means to be merciful to one who has
been
hurt so that a new and positive cause can be set into motion that will
ameliorate the negative effects of a preceding cause?

Thank you for your guidance,
Namaste,
A