Theos-Talk Archives (February 2004 Message tt00225)

Dear Dallas

We experience the feeling of gratitude. But the significant thing about
gratitude, as I see it, is that we do something about it. It is eminently
practical. It doesn't have to be given *directly* back to the other being
that raised that feeling of gratitude, as such (but in a sense it is). For
example, and again as I see it, it is very simple, we may feel gratitude
towards HPB and the Masters for all that they have given, and we can show
our gratitude, by not only showing to others that such a thing as theosophy
exists, but also "help them to ascend towards it by studying and
assimilating its eternal verities." Or in other ways, but the important
thing being, that we do something about it.

That passage in the "Mahatma Letters" where the goat eats most of one of
Sinnett's letters - truly a stone thrown in to a pool of water - here
gratitude is given directly to the goat (or is it?) in a very practical way:

"Hence I thanked the goat heartily; and since he does not belong to the
ostracised Peling race, to show my gratitude I strengthened what remained of
teeth in his mouth, and set the dilapidated remains firmly in their sockets,
so that he may chew food harder than English letters for several years yet
to come." (Letter 54)

Here a longer version of the quote:
"Turning round I understood the situation at a glance; otherwise your letter
would have never been read by me for I saw a venerable old goat in the act
of making a morning meal of it. The creature had already devoured part of
C.C.M.'s letter, and was thoughtfully preparing to have a bite at yours,
more delicate and easy for chewing with his old teeth than the tough
envelope and paper of your correspondents epistle. To rescue what remained
of it took me but one short instant, disgust and opposition of the animal
notwithstanding -- but there remained mighty little of it! The envelope with
your crest on had nearly disappeared, the contents of the letters made
illegible -- in short I was perplexed at the sight of the disaster. Now you
know why I felt embarrassed: I had no right to restore it, the letters
coming from the "Eclectic" and connected directly with the hapless "Pelings"
on all sides. What could I do to restore the missing parts! I had already
resolved to humbly crave permission from the Chohan to be allowed an
exceptional privilege in this dire necessity, when I saw his holy face
before me, with his eye twinkling in quite an unusual manner, and heard his
voice: "Why break the rule? I will do it myself." These simple words Kam mi
ts'har -- "I'll do it," contain a world of hope for me. He has restored the
missing parts and done it quite neatly too, as you see, and even transformed
a crumpled broken envelope, very much damaged, into a new one -- crest and
all. Now I know what great power had to be used for such a restoration, and
this leads me to hope for a relaxation of severity one of these days. Hence
I thanked the goat heartily; and since he does not belong to the ostracised
Peling race, to show my gratitude I strengthened what remained of teeth in
his mouth, and set the dilapidated remains firmly in their sockets, so that
he may chew food harder than English letters for several years yet to come."
(Letter 54)

Tony





-----Original Message-----
From: Dallas TenBroeck [mailto:dalval14@earthlink.net]
Sent: 29 February 2004 10:14 am
To: study@blavatsky.net
Subject: Theos-World RE: [bn-study] Re: Karmic action as an expression
of universal gratitude? Part 2