Theos-Talk Archives (May 2005 Message tt00399)

Saturday, May 14, 2005



Dear Friends:



An Inquiry on this subject arose:





DEATH - WHAT HAPPENS AFTER ?



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





The Real Thinker in Man is Immortal





Theosophy teaches that the Spiritual Ego the "Real Thinker" in each of us is
an immortal being.



It is the Reincarnating Ego, and survives every "death" of its past

"personalities" and the physical bodies that it used.



With the Spiritual Ego is associated the sense of "I-ness." Also the

character, the virtues, the ability to reason logically and the desire to

seek for "causes." It desires to know why it is here, and where it is to

go, and how does it make good choices.





Our Present Body Is A Temporary Home For It.





The temporary bodies and personalities that it uses life after life are the

result of the way in which it chose to lead its life in the past. This past

includes not only the "past lives," but also whatever we have of learning

and experience and choosing in this life right up to the preset moment.



Theosophy teaches that when the body dies, its materials become dispersed
and reabsorbed in the earth, air and water around it.





PERSONAL MAN -- KAMA-LOKA





The Personal man (consisting of our selfish concepts, acts, and words) makes
a temporary form (called the Kama-Rupa, or form of desire) with the
"astral-body" -- an electro-magnetic force field of sorts. And it lives for

a short while -- a few hours to a few months or even years (depending on the
nature of our just lived lives) in that condition, and then, this temporary

form dissipates. 



This has been called the "Second Death." During this period a separation of
the "good" from the "bad" impulses recorded in memory is made. The "bad" is
left behind in the Kama-Rupa and the "good" is taken by the Reincarnating
Ego into the introspective state of Devachan



Both Kama-Loka and Devachan are personal states and as the subject there is
our past life, we (as the Real Spiritual Ego) are unaware of what may be

happening to our near and dear ones after the event of our death. So we

may not be aware of their condition. Our focus is made sharply on how we

have lived our last life up to the time of our physical death.





DEVACHAN - the Home of the Gods



Passing now to Devachan, it is a "subjective" state and not an "objective

plane or place. There the Immortal Ego meditates on the memories of all it

had done that was lawful and good during the last life and incorporates this

into its character.



As every least good impulse is reviewed and assimilated this takes a long

time (an average of about 1500 years for us at the present time).

This gives us an average cycle of reincarnation of about 15 centuries.

Obviously the exact length of time varies with each Individual. It is said

that it can be (in the case of children) very brief -- a few weeks, months

or years -- to a very long period of between 5 to 10,000 years in the case

of those who are very spiritual, and who do much good to others during their
last life.



During this period the ideation of the Devachanee continues to spread like a

beneficent influence throughout the worlds, and adds generally to the

"good." Some of this benevolence is said (like the feelings of a mother

for their children) may act (if Karma permits) as a kind of shield that

helps those of the family. But this is not done consciously. 



We must remember that the Wise, and the Good do this all the time, and if
we would do good to others, it is not limited to words and deeds, but also
to our thinking; and we also can do general good in terms of influence the
whole time we are alive, as well as after death.



The good we diffuse is non specific and cannot be channeled or aimed at

specific individuals alive or dead, says Theosophy. So the "help" which the

Wise constantly radiate is like the SUN. It showers good on all. So do all

humans, whether alive or dead. A Prophet, a Reformer, or a Great Teacher
comes under Karma to a specific place and time and works with the
individuals there who need and recognize Them. Nothing in nature is done
haphazard or by chance. Karma always operates in all things. It is the law
of balance and compensation. 



Great Teachers [Mahatmas and Rishis] come when a nation or a race

needs them and some crisis has developed. As in the case of H. P.

Blavatsky, if we study her works we will see how, over the past 125 years,

the "Manas and the Buddhi" of our race has received a change in its

orientation. We are now considering the moral as well as the ecological

effects of our civilization and in its industries and ways of doing business

and of government. We can either help or hinder this movement by our

decisions.



As an additional fact offered by Theosophy we might consider:





IMMORTALITY





The Spiritual Ego (The Real Thinker within) is an immortal being. 



It has always existed. The reason why it lives and uses many personalities
in a long line of reincarnations stretching back for thousands and millions
of

years, is that it decided very long ago that it would sacrifice (make

sacred) its happiness, bliss and well-being for the sake of the many

life-atoms that make up all its many "personalities" and the succession of

"bodies, names, forms." that it has used.



It is like a divine star, like the Sun of our solar system, and is located

in the CORE of our being, just like the Sun is located at the center of our

system and gives life and warmth to the planets and all that lives on them.

The SUN always gives continually, and hopes, as beings come and go on the
planets that some will research, using their minds, and through that search,
become wise enough to understand its purpose, and by reflex analogy, seek
for the "Sun" that shines, hidden in their own individual center. It is
like a living symbol of life.



But the Sun we see, is not the TRUE SUN which lives in the CENTER of the
physical, visible sun. If we could see it unshielded, we could not live in

these bodies, so the Real Sun covers itself with a veil, like a vase of

golden light. The ancient Hindus had a verse expressing this called the

"Gayatri."



The responsibility of improving our own Personal natures is essentially

ours. No gift, or prayer or petition can improve another. Each has to

decide to change for themselves.



What does Theosophy do? It offers an integrated view of the Universe, of

our solar system, of our Earth and of ourselves. This is called UNIVERSAL
BROTHERHOOD.



It holds the position that every life-atom, whether it is enclosed in

mineral, plant, animal or a human form has a spiritual center and there it

is at unity with the SPIRITUAL WHOLE and the ONE UNIVERSAL SELF. For an
immense period of years these immortals (called also Monads) experience all
the phenomena of evolution, and continually they grow in intelligence, and
eventually become humans (Minds) with the responsibility of making free
choices.



The "forms" of various kinds on the evolutionary spiral ladder, demonstrate

the development of consciousness and intelligence from a general state into

a progressively more focused and powerful INDIVIDUAL. Self-consciousness is
attained in the human form, and then it goes further as it develops for
itself, by study, experiment and search, UNIVERSAL SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS.



Eventually in the human stage MIND is developed and with that the FREEDOM to
Choose. This is because with Mind, the power to observe the workings of
nature (visible and invisible) develops. It equivalent in our analogy to
the "golden Vase of light" that the true Sun creates so as to protect and
nurture living creatures everywhere. It stands between the physical (form,
matter) and the SPIRITUAL FIRE of TRUTH.



The energies that create a form, are natural indeed, but they lack the

"fire" of SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS. The Mind has three broad stages: 



1 as a pupil, 



2. as a thinker, 



3. as a Seer of all Wisdom. 



Mankind is in the position of being between stages 1 and 2. It recognizes
the 3rd position of the Wise. In seeking to become Wise it studies Nature.



Nature already contains all. Nature runs always by law. Nature is

impersonal, just, kind, life-supportive, and sensitive to the needs of every

one of its smallest components, as to those of its greatest.



Mankind being of the stage of opening elf-consciousness is impelled to

discover what his environment holds for him and what his powers are.



Theosophy is like a blue-print map which opens some of the areas of 

research for individual tracing and verification. 



Thus any of the question you may ask leads to a review of the doctrines 

of Theosophy and to a practical evaluation of them

in our own minds before we employ them for experimentation.



There is of course far more to this, and no doubt there will be more

questions and contributions on this important subject.



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





Best wishes, 



Dallas



PS:



[ see KEY TO THEOSOPHY (HPB) and the 

OCEAN OF THEOSOPHY (W. Q. Judge 



-- as both books teach this doctrine in detail 



-- available, on-line, through http://.www.blavatsky.net ]









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