Theos-Talk Archives (December 2003 Message tt00301)

Dec 19 2003


The cyclic emergence of religions, is it not like a spiral


Some thoughts on The Spiral of Religious Emergence



It appears to be correct idea to say that the emergence of one religion
out of another is a cyclic spiral. There is always similarity and not
identity.

Consider that there is always at the base of each religion a philosophy
of life. This philosophy, if true, is not going to vary in its
essentials. Consequently, what we witness in the past are the spirals
in time of a great set of universally diffused IDEAS and their
philosophy -- that always resurfaces and also may seem to be "new" in
"its" time. Whereas it is quite old.

If we wish to identify some of them we could say:  

1. There is a great and unknown source of all.  

2. Since we all share in that single origin we are all BROTHERS. Not
only among humans, but also with everything else in Nature. All are
sharers in the universal divinity.

3. Nature and God are names given to the actuality of our lives and
thought in the present.  

4. A great law of universal fairness, harmony, balance and justice
works at the same rate and pace for everyone, and for all living things.


5. Every being is an immortal at its core, which is "spark" or a "ray"
of SPIRIT/MATTER. From the "atom" to the Galaxy, we are all united.  

6. In mankind we see the emanation of the power of the Mind. it is
conjoined to the faculty of instinct, of feeling, of desire and need.
But the mind having a direct connection with the ONE SOURCE, is able to
distinguish between the essential and fair, and the non-essential and
selfish.  

7. This makes for the difference between "Good, and Evil." Good is to
cooperate with Nature (God's) Laws. Evil is to distort or pervert them.
Nature in her great sensitivity takes note of our motive -- a
combination of our thought and feeling. This brings to us Karma. Karma
is the response from Nature to assist us, always. If we have chosen
well or wrongly, it presents us eventually with the result of our
choices. It is always fair, just and therefore merciful to all. It
assists us to redress our wrong choices, and to benefit from the good
that we do.  

8. The whole of Nature is found to be progressive. Wisdom of the Mind
is the result of a closer study of our own faculties and of the great
Laws that are already active in Nature. Science, for instance, is the
intent and careful study of Nature's workings in all departments of
nature. Nature HAS ALREADY INSTALLED EVERYTHING IN PLACE FOR OUR
PROGRESS. We share this marvelous advantage with every other being in
the World and the Universe. 

10. The final result of Evolution is to become a WISE HUMAN BEING. We
have always had them among us, when we think of the Christs, the
Buddhas, The Rishis, the Prophets, and the Sages of all countries and
all times. They form a great brotherhood. They are the Great Servants
of Mankind. They seek to get us to study our own selves, how we think,
how we feel, how best to act. They always say that we have to push
ourselves forward to ever learn more from the "Book of Life" that is
open before us. We are in our real, core selves, the "Eternal
Pilgrims."

The great Souls, the Mahatmas, Buddhas, Prophets, Christs, Rishis, etc.
whose record of acting in a superior manner and whose words resound as
"truth", can be seen to form one great body of WISE MEN. They do not
die, as Intelligences, but always act from time to time as the teachers
of men. They are a great brotherhood.
[ see ISIS UNVEILED, Vol. 2, pp. 98 - 103 ]

It takes some time for a religion to grow up around a philosophical
reform, and thus, coating it with the "Letter of the Law," it ends in
stifling and choking it. Forcing one aspect of the "Truth" on others,
whether it be words or observances (rites), is useless. Each one has to
have the freedom to make decisions and choose those criteria for action
on their own. No one can learn for another. Each has to do the
learning and the progressing themselves.

People have to realize that the TRUTH is inside themselves -- it is in
all our many hearts. So we have to express it by thinking and acting as
though we were brothers to everything else. If we set up a barrier of
differences, we will lose the fine edge of sensitivity that perceives in
another's religion or philosophy the same basic truths we were taught
in ours. They are not, as basis mutually exclusive, but reach out at
that time and place to embrace the rest and their earlier sources. 

That is one thing to consider.

Another is the cycle of reincarnation. Mme. Blavatsky in the KEY TO
THEOSOPHY says that this runs between 10 and 15 centuries on the
average.  

Similar kinds of civilizations return, similar knowledge, architecture,
skills, values, and also the lack of these. This is due to the return
of certain average kind of Egos (minds or souls ). The Soul-mind is an
"Immortal Pilgrim." It uses body after body, and one might say that
each incarnation is like a new day in "schools." The SCHOOL OF LIFE,
which for us is the series of our incarnations on our Earth.

We do not remember our lives as the last person we were. We do return
with the increment in facility in thinking, sensitivity, the desire to
learn, to improve, and such important qualities as honesty,
trustworthiness, diligence, attention, concentration, will, etc. And
since our Karma operates in all ways, our deficits and disabilities that
remain unconquered and undisciplined return with us also. Each life
with the new material form that we assemble out of the old "skandhas"
(or "life-atoms") that we used we renew the struggle towards becoming a
more perfect human being.

Thus everything in theosophical philosophy is viewed as alive,
constantly learning, ceaselessly reincarnating under the great law of
Karma that ever urges every being to evolve into their more perfect
stages of knowledge and wisdom. It states that this is a moral, or
ethical universe and the practice of benevolence, compassion and
brotherhood enables us to comply with this situation. 

We always have opportunities to assist and help our fellow man and
woman. If we neglect those, we are the ones who delay our own advance.
If we harm anyone, for whatever reason, we ask the great and impartial
law of Karma to take note; and, in its always educative mode, it gives
us a situation later on, in which we are the recipients of the force of
our motive in action. This can happen immediately, or after some days,
weeks, or years -- perhaps even in a future life-time. All our Karma is
always mixed in with that of others, so we have the karma of a family, a
race, a religion, or a Nation. Nothing escapes the scope of Karmic
action. This is because everything is alive and emanates at its source
from the same "god-head" [ the ONE, UNKNOWN SPIRITUAL SOURCE" ] that we
all do.


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