Theos-Talk Archives (August 2003 Message tt00038)

Tuesday, August 12, 2003

Dear Joe:

May I offer on this ?

RE: Worries about Robots... I say who cares? Man makes them and
controls them. They can never attain to independent and
care-full thought for others. They are rote-mechanisms. They
have neither heart nor mind qualities other than those imprinted
on them by their human creators.

Far from mere "morality" and the "ethics" of the every-day world
is KARMA. These two have to be grasped by the intelligence that
is ours (human) and analyzed thoughtfully. What is their place
in Nature ?

KARMA is the fundamental LAW of the UNIVERSE. It precedes all
else (the Universe included). It is a spiritual IDEAL. It is
eternal undivided DURATION. "Time" comes into being when
manifestation recommences cyclically, and causes the appearance
and disappearance of worlds. Everything that is material, is
"bound" upon its "ever-turning wheel of change." We as eternal
Monads are forever fixed upon this "wheel." Our Personalities
are bound to, and on it. Hence, the many psychological problems
of identification and definition.

The Personality cannot replace the INDIVIDUALITY unless it
becomes a faithful replica of that INDIVIDUALITY in and on this
plane of material existence -- and, thereby benefits every monad
of "the whole" in their individual progress. We are all
Pupil-Teachers, set in a "place," where our Karma gives us the
widest opportunities to do good work. Our Karma incidentally
springs from the Atma "within." It is not imposed from
"without." [ S D II 167 ]

But there is an "escape route." It lies within our own spiritual
nature and the fact that our immortal Monad (Atma-Buddhi) is
undivided from the UNIVERSAL ATMA-BUDDHI -- much as a drop is
also part of, yet distinct from the OCEAN . If we succeed in
spiritualizing our whole nature, we can "escape." [ see end of
the VOICE OF THE SILENCE, pp 74-79 ]. This is what the true
"theosophist" aims to do, quietly, strenuously, and with
determined effort.

As explained in S D I 181, our universal scheme is 3-fold.
Spiritual, psychic/mental, and material. Spirit (Law), Mind
(thinking) and matter -- all forms (visible and invisible),
consisting of permanent electro-magnetic centers of FORCE.
Matter, such as we know it, is only condensed Astral substance.
It offers resistance, of various kinds, much as the rapidly
revolving blades of a fan resist an object trying to penetrate
their plane, but permit light, heat, sound and other vibrations
to pass.

While it appears paradoxical to speak of Man's free-will, yet it
is true that this "INDIVIDUAL free-will" is directly derived from
the CAUSELESS CAUSE of everything. KARMA is one of its aspects.
For this reason it is free. The Atma within every one of us, is
one with the great universal ATMA. It is a the sole source of
our sense of "freedom," because we have now the mental tools to
think about IT.

It is in effect an illustration of the 3 eternal "Qualities."
(Gunas) These will be found spoken of in the BHAGAVAD GITA,
Chapters 14, 16, 17, 18. They ought to be studied and
understood.

1.	If SATTVA is pure unadulterated SPIRIT, it is illustrative of
what appears to us as a kind "inane beatitude," or a "morbid
inactivity."[ S D II 103, 167, 243, 246, ] These ideas have to
be well grasped. "Nirvana" is not "bliss" such as we think we
can "feel."

2.	RAJAS (Thought-Mind and Emotion-Desire), These, are the
characteristics of motion, activity and are either planned,
purposeful, or excited, inane activity. This "Guna" is dual
:--(intelligent and purposeful) or (senseless excitement and a
foolish waste of time and energy).

3.	The 3rd is TAMAS, or the thoughtless, mindless, senseless
inertia of the vehicles (visible and invisible) of "matter."

Any combination of two is opposed by the 3rd. This creates a
dynamic balance ruled and guided by our will. Our will has to be
spiritually inspired and energized, to be effective
theosophically.

Selfishness is rooted in the isolation of the Personality, and
its systematic refusal to agree that the Ocean represents its
Parent Source, and this includes the current mob of brother
souls, all living and striving together. It is the antithesis of
BROTHERHOOD, hence, of universal LAW. In the end, like our
present physical life, it ends in the dissolution we call
"death." And we have to wait for another incarnation to pick up,
as Karmas revolves and returns, those opportunities we neglected
in this one.

Utopia is the only solution. We are not to be scared by it,
either as a word or an idea. In this case the "patient" is
deathless by innate nature. The attitudes and platitudes used by
the every-day world of ignorance in the partially educated
academies, and of their inaccurate assumed authority need not
scare us.

We are seeking for Truth. And this search gets us no degrees or
any kind of recognition -- not to satisfy our own petty
ambitions, or society or the crowd -- by using language they
assume is knowledgeable. We have to really KNOW in order to
advise accurately. We are in the "Truth-business," not in
pretense. It demands courage, knowledge, patience and a
willingness to be continually derided and misunderstood. The
work is done quietly, but with close attention, and great
impersonality, (holding ourselves in the background, and placing
Theosophical doctrines and truths forward -- they have their own
power) as every meeting and exchange, is an opportunity to give
greater meaning and depth to Theosophical ideas through our words
and purposes. Those efforts have to be conducted with
discrimination and not when others are unreceptive.

See if this is helpful.

Best wishes,

Dallas

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

-----Original Message-----
From: Joe F
Sent:	Monday, August 11, 2003 5:08 AM
To:
Subject:	RE: Worries about Robots...

So the question is one of morality, or so it seems. A few years
back a
politician pulled me off to the side and gave a lesson. He said
that he
asked two things of people, 1) to vote, and 2) whenever they had
a
problem to bring forward, to please also have a (proposed)
solution.

I agree very much with your concerns. The question appears to be
what
to do, specifically. It seems to me that the problems that we
face are
rooted in human selfishness and a profound nearsightedness that
eschews
any concept of consequence, aside from getting caught, otherwise
we
wouldn't create unsustainable structures such as our health care,
food
distribution and educational systems.

What kind of ethics, philosophies, laws and social structures
would be
needed in a society such as we have discussed over the last week
or so?
How can such changes be brought about without being unnecessarily
utopian and running the risk of killing the patient in order to
save it?
As an observation, sometimes it seems that this is a culture that
prides
itself on knowledge but not wisdom.

Joe F