Theos-Talk Archives (November 2004 Message tt00149)

Nov 12 2004

Steve:

You are so right.

What can we do other than present logic and evidence?

The whole Theosophical effort revolves around one vital point: 

The existence of a law that demands basic MORALITY and common ETHICS
(unsupervised) of an equal and most glorious character from everyone.

How else can brotherhood be achieved?  

It is a gift, not an enforcement.

"Communism" was such an idea, but fails because it is enforced from outside.
So it turns out in practice to be a tattle-tale affair, and this brings on
its utter failure. Revenge and fear have destroyed its concept of
practicality.

Unless one desires to be and act as a brother to all else, no parity,
reconciliation, or progress can be made. 

As you so rightly observe it is the inner enforcement that makes virtue
valid and not just talking about it. 

Best wishes,

Dallas


----------------------------------------------

Recently I was reading Judge's NOTES ON THE BHAGAVAD GITA 



Consider this: (pp 34 -41)


"We enter upon this great path of action in occultism mentally disposed
towards final victory. 

This mental attitude instantly throws all the parts of our being into
agitation, during which the tendencies which are by nature antipathetic to
each other separate and range themselves upon opposite sides. 

This creates great distress, with oftentimes wandering of the mind, and adds
additional terror to our dark despair. We may then sink down and declare
that we will fly to a forest—or as they did once in Europe, to a
monastery—so as to get away from what seems to be unfavorable ground for a
conflict. But we have evoked a force in nature and set up a current and
vibration which will go on no matter what we do. This is the meaning of the
"flying of arrows" even when Arjuna sat down on the bench of his chariot.
[Chap. 1]

At this point of our progress we should examine our motive and desire.

It has been said in some theosophical writings of the present day, that a
"spiritualized will" ought to be cultivated. 

As terms are of the highest importance we ought to be careful how we use
them, for in the inner life they represent either genuine, regulated forces,
or useless and abortive things that lead to nothing but confusion. 

This term "spiritualized will" leads to error, because in fact it has no
existence. The mistake has grown out of the constant dwelling on "will" and
"forces" needed for the production of phenomena, as something the disciple
should strive to obtain—whether so confessed or not— while the real motive
power is lost sight of. 

It is very essential that we should clearly understand this, for if we make
the blunder of attributing to will or to any other faculty an action which
it does not have, or of placing it in a plane to which it does not belong,
we at once remove ourselves far from the real knowledge, since all action on
this plane is by mind alone. 

The old Hermetic statement is: "Behind will stands desire," and it is true.

Will is a pure, colorless force which is moved into action by desire. If
desire does not give a direction, the will is motionless; and just as desire
indicates, so the will proceeds to execute. 

But as there are countless wills of sentient beings constantly plying to and
fro in our sphere, and must be at all times in some manner acting upon one
another, the question arises: What is that sort of knowledge which shows how
to use the will so that the effect of counteracting wills may not be felt?
That knowledge is lost among the generality of men and is only instinctive
here and there in the world as a matter of karmic result, giving us examples
of men whose will seems to lead them on to success.... 

Furthermore, men of the world are not desiring to see results which shall be
in accord with the general will of nature, because they are wanting this and
that for their own benefit. Their desire, then, no matter how strong, is
limited or nullified: 

(1) by lack of knowledge of how to counteract other wills; 

(2) by being in opposition to the general will of nature without the other
power of being able to act strongly in opposition to that too. 
So it follows-as we see in practice in life—that men obtain only a portion
of that which they desire. 

The question next arises: 

Can a man go against the general will of nature and escape destruction, and
also be able to desire wickedly with knowledge, and accomplish, through
will, what he wishes? 

Such a man can do all of these—except to escape destruction. That is sureto
come, no matter at how remote a period. 

He acquires extraordinary knowledge, enabling him to use powers for selfish
purposes during immense periods of time, but at last the insidious effects
of the opposition to the general true will makes itself felt and he is
destroyed forever. 

This fact is the origin of the destruction-of-worlds myths, and of those
myths of combats such as between Krishna and Ravana, the demon god, and
between Durga and the demons. 

For in other ages, as is to again occur in ages to come, these wickedly
desiring people, having great knowledge, increase to an enormous extent and
threaten the stability of the world. 

Then the adherents of the good law can no longer quietly work on humanity,
but come out in force, and a fight ensues in which the black magicians are
always destroyed, because the good adepts possess not only equal knowledge
with the bad ones, but have in addition the great assistance of the general
will of nature which is not in control of the others, and so it is
inevitable that the good should triumph always. 

This assistance is also the heritage of every true student, and may be
invoked by the real disciple when he has arrived at and passed the first
abyss. 

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

"And when the Great King of Glory saw the Heavenly Treasure of the Wheel, he
sprinkled it with water and said: 'Roll onward, O my Lord, the Wheel! O my
Lord, go forth and overcome!'" 
 
 
"And now, under the Lotus in the Heart, glows the lamp of the Soul.
Protected by the gods who there stand guard, it sheds its soft rays in every
direction. "

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


A mighty spirit moves through the pages of the Bhagavad-Gita. It has the
seductive influence of beauty; yet, like strength, it fills one as with the
sound of armies assembling or the roar of great waters. 

Appealing alike to the warrior and the philosopher, it shows to the one the
righteousness of lawful action, and to the other the calmness which results
to him who has reached inaction through action. 

Schlegel, after studying the poem, pays tribute to it in these words: " By
the Brahmins, reverence of masters is considered the most sacred of duties.
Thee therefore, first, most holy prophet, interpreter of the Deity, by
whatever name thou wast called among mortals, the author of this poem, by
whose oracles the mind is rapt with ineffable delight to doctrines lofty,
eternal, and divine— thee first, I say, I hail, and shall always worship at
thy feet." 

The second chapter begins to teach philosophy, but in such a way that Arjuna
is led on gradually step by step to the end of the dialogue; and yet the
very first instructions from Krishna are so couched that the end and purpose
of the scheme are seen at the beginning. 

Although philosophy seems dry to most people, and especially to minds in the
Western world who are surrounded by the rush of their new and quite
undeveloped civilization, yet it must be taught and understood. 

It has become the fashion to some extent to scout careful study or practice
and go in for the rapid methods inaugurated in America. In many places
emotional goodness is declared to exceed in value the calmness that results
from a broad philosophical foundation, and in others astral wonder seeking,
or great strength of mind whether discriminative or not, is given the first
rank. 

Strength without knowledge, and sympathetic tears without the ability to be
calm—in fine, faith without works—will not save us. And this is one of the
lessons of the second chapter. 

The greatest of the ancients inculcated by both symbols and books the
absolute necessity for the acquirement of philosophical knowledge, inasmuch
as strength or special faculties are useless without it. 

Those Greeks and others who recorded some of the wisdom of the elder
Egyptians well illustrated this. 

They said, that in the symbols it was shown, as where Hermes is represented
as an old and a young man, intending by this to signify that he who rightly
inspects sacred matters ought to be both intelligent and strong, one of
these without the other being imperfect. And for the same reason the symbol
of the great Sphinx was established; the beast signifying strength, and the
man wisdom. 

For strength when destitute of the ruling aid of wisdom, is overcome by
stupid astonishment confusing all things together; and for the purpose of
action the intellect is useless when it is deprived of strength. So, whether
our strength is that of sympathy or of astral vision, we will be confounded
if philosophical knowledge be absent. 

But, so as not to be misunderstood, I must answer the question that will be
asked, "Do you then condemn sympathy and love, and preach a cold philosophy
only?" By no means. Sympathy and emotion are as much parts of the great
whole as knowledge, but inquiring students wish to know all that lies in the
path. The office of sympathy, charity, and all other forms of goodness, so
far as the effect on us is concerned, is to entitle us to help. 

By this exercise we inevitably attract to us those souls who have the
knowledge and are ready to help us to acquire it also. But while we ignore
philosophy and do not try to attain to right discrimination, we must pass
through many lives, many weary treadmills of life, until at last little by
little we have been forced, without our will, into the possession of the
proper seeds of mental action from which the crop of right discrimination
may be gathered. 

==============================
 
-----Original Message-----

From: Steven Levey [mailto:sallev1@y...] 
Sent: Friday, November 12, 2004 12:09 PM
To: theosophia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [theosophia] 

Re: 129 YEARS OF THEOSOPHY REMEMBERED



Dal-


You know, I think that no matter how often you inform someone of 
this God/as me, as my being, metphysical truth, we all have to verify 
this as an internal state for there to be the trust you ask about, 
regarding our trust in Krishna. 

In truth, each individual seems to be overlooking the fact of this 
existence, just as surly as we have forgotten so many other things. I 
am convined that if we had to remember to breath, for our diaphrams 
to withdraw, etc., we would forget. Or, if we had to consciously 
remember to digest everything we eat, it would not happen, or so many 
other autonomic functions which we take for granted that are built 
into the astral man. Even the fact of Brotherhood is a forgotten 
thing, which takes I don't know what to actually rekindle. It will 
always be a mystery to me exactly what it is that brings these 
forgotten things back to us as facts to be trusted. In fact trust 
itself is a mystery, because it happens when it does, and all we can 
do is work on practicing those age old practices, which have been 
proven to rekindle the reminiscence of that state of wholeness.

Steve

============================
   
--- In theosophia@yahoogroups.com, 

"W.Dallas TenBroeck" <dalval14@e...> wrote:

> Nov 10 2004
> 
> Dear Gopi:
> 
> Please consider this:
> > 
> DEITY / GOD SURROUNDS US
> > 
> If GOD is UNIVERSAL then we are never separate from God.
> 
> If GOD IS EVERYWHERE and we are INSIDE GOD.
> 
> GOD and the UNIVERSE are one. All BEINGS are aspects and part of the ONE
UNIVERSAL GOD.
> 
> 
> Sri Krishna states to Arjuna that HE is inside each of us.  
> 
> [ I am the Ego seated in the Heart of ALL BEINGS.] Chapter X  
Verse 20.	[See also in Chapter 11, Verse 7.]
> 
> I think we read and do not understand --- or do we mistrust Sri Krishna?
> 
> If we do not perceive IT [GOD] then why?
> 
> How did such a condition arise?
> 
> How is it that we are confused and do not know we are all "Gods?"
> 
> How is it that we think we are separate from God -- especially if 
GOD is UNIVERSAL ?
> 
> This is a paradox hard for me to resolve. What has happened to our 
> minds to become clouded with Kama and desires?
> 
> ===================
> 
> The SECRET DOCTRINE explains why:
> 
> 
> "It is a strange law of Nature, that on this plane, the higher 
(Spiritual) Nature should be, so to say, in bondage to the lower. 
> 
> Unless the Ego takes refuge in the Atman, the ALL-SPIRIT, and 
> merges entirely into the essence thereof, the personal Ego may goad 
it to the bitter end...
> 
> That which propels towards, and forces evolution, i.e., compels the 
growth and development of Man towards perfection, is 
> 
> (a) the MONAD, or that which acts in it unconsciously through a 
force inherent in itself; and 
> 
> (b) the lower astral body or the personal SELF...
> 
> unless the higher Self or EGO gravitates towards 
> its Sun--the Monad--the lower Ego, or personal Self, will have the 
upper hand in every case. 
> 
> For it is this Ego, with its fierce Selfishness and animal desire 
to live a Senseless life (Tanha), which is "the maker of the tabernacle" as 
> Buddha calls it...the Atman alone warms the inner man; i.e., it 
> enlightens it with the ray of divine life and alone is able to 
impart to the inner man, or the reincarnating Ego, its immortality."
> SD II 109-110
> 
> ================================
> CUT