Theos-Talk Archives (December 2005 Message tt00310)

12/28/2005 3:53 AM

Dear Cindy:

Re: IGNORANCE and MORAL VISION


Notes below, please,

Best wishes and thanks for questions -- I enjoy answering --


Dallas

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-----Original Message-----
From: Cindy 
Sent: Tuesday, December 27, 2005 
To: 
Subject: Re: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT & etc. now altered to

IGNORANCE and MORAL VISION (see below)


Dear Dallas,


CC	Extremely interesting reading. I most certainly agree with Mr.
Judge.
Jesus was the incarnation of Adam, for how else could he have "been the
father and the son also." Reincarnation is nothing that I doubt, nor do I
doubt karma.

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

DTB	Do try and secure a copy of Mr. W. Q. Judge's The OCEAN OF THEOSOPHY
(on line at
www.phx-ult-lodge.org/ ) It is short ( 190 pages) but it covers
THEOSOPHY and epitomizes the SECRET DOCTRINE -- The chapter XI on
KARMA ought to be read, please.

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


CC	It seems that every great religion that has ever offered up the
truth to
mankind, has had "someone?" come immediately afterwards to corrupt it. I
believe that that is what Jesus meant when he referred to the antichrist.
Not someone who would come in the far future, but someone? who would come
shortly afterwards.

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


DTB	Observation seems correct, as all "Teachers" are almost immediately
attacked and the attacks continue -- if their philosophy cannot be refuted,
they are attacked personally on an ethico-moral basis. We can see this
happening today in regard to THEOSOPHY. The problem is that people who
generate "opinions" do not always READ first on the subjects they try to
discuss. 

I say this, not to block any questions (which are always welcome) but a
little advance reading of what THEOSOPHY teaches is valuable. One has to
think these things out in a logical way. Remember that THEOSOPHY is an
exposition of the inner workings of the whole World and Universe -- it has
to be rigidly just and moral or else we have nothing but "fuss and feathers"
-- as many people think -- superficially.

In the case of this book that is regularly studied, there is a companion
volume of ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS AT AN INFORMAL The OCEAN OF THEOSOPHY class.
This is also valuable and is "on line" at the same location. [
www.phx-ult-lodge.org/ ) ]

See also POINT OUT THE WAY (answers) same location ---- most helpful. [
www.phx-ult-lodge.org/ ) ]


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


CC	There are surely karmic repercussions for those who assisted in this
corruption, whether they chose fully well knowing what they were doing, or
they assisted in ignorance. As ignorance of the law is no excuse they will
surely reap the consequences of what they did no matter how much they have
developed spiritually since. This is absolute and perfect justice.

I am much interested in your thoughts on this.




DTB	See a posting made today CAN THE DESIRE TO LIVE BE SELFISH. It
answers many of your questions.

Please also see this on IGNORANCE (Buddha taught)


I G N O R A N C E 


Not by matted locks, not by lineage, not by caste does one become a
Brahmana. By his truth and virtuousness man becomes a Brahmana. He is
blessed. (393)	DHAMMAPADA, p. 91


Him I call a Brahmana whose wisdom is profound, who knows and discerns the
right way and the wrong and who has attained the highest end. (403)
DHAMMAPADA, p. 93


Him I call a Brahmana who has nothing of his own pertaining to the past, the
present and the future, who is possessionless and detached. (421)
DHAMMAPADA, p. 96


The fool worries himself thinking--"Sons have I; wealth have I." He
himself does not belong to himself. How then Sons? How then wealth?
The fool aware of his folly is to that extent wise; but a fool who takes
himself to be wise is a fool indeed. 62-3)	DHAMMAPADA, p. 14


Fools of little understanding are their own enemies; they do evil deeds
which bear bitter fruits. (66)	DHAMMAPADA, p. 15


Whatever knowledge a fool acquires is not worked to advantage. That
tarnishes his bright share of past merit and throws his head into disarray
as he acts in the present. (72)	DHAMMAPADA, p. 16


Non-repetition taints our prayers. Non-repair taints the house. Sloth
taints our body. Heedlessness taints a watchman. Unchastity taints a
woman. Niggardliness taints a benefactor. Evil deeds taint us in this
world and the next. But there is a taint worse than all taints; ignorance
is the worse taint. O Bhikkhus remove that taint and become taintless.
(241-243)	DHAMMAPADA, p. 57


He is called an elder in whom dwell truth, virtue, non-violence, restraint
and control and who is free from impurity and is wise. (261)	DHAMMAPADA,
p. 61


It is better to live alone. There is no companionship with a fool. Let a
man advance alone, committing no sin, like an elephant in the forest. (330)
DHAMMAPADA, p. 77
 

Rouse your self by your Self, examine your self by your Self. Thus
self-guarded and mindful you will live happily, O Bhikkhu.  

For Self is the lord of self; Self is the refuge of self; therefore curb
yourself, even as a merchant curbs a fine horse. (379-80)
DHAMMAPADA, p. 88


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



MORAL VISION 

by Rabindranath Tagore

 
To the man who lives for an idea, for his country, for the good of
humanity, life has an extensive meaning, and to that extent pain becomes
less important to him. 

To live the life of goodness is to live the life of all. Pleasure is for
one's own self, but goodness is concerned with the happiness of all humanity
and for all time. 

>From the point of view of the good, pleasure and pain appear in a different
meaning; so much so, that pleasure may be shunned, and pain be courted in
its place, and death itself be made welcome as giving a higher value to
life. 

>From these higher standpoints of a man's life, the standpoints of the good,
pleasure and pain lose their absolute value. Martyrs prove it in history,
and we prove it every day in our 
life in our little martyrdoms. 

When we take a pitcherful of water from the sea it has its weight, but when
we take a dip into the sea itself a thousand pitchersful of water flow above
our head, and we do 
not feel their weight. We have to carry the pitcher of self with our
strength; and so, while on the plane of selfishness, pleasure and pain have
their full weight, on the moral plane they are so much lightened that the
man who has reached it appears to us almost superhuman in his 
patience under crushing trials, and his forbearance in the face of
malignant persecution. 

To live in perfect goodness is to realize one's life in the infinite.
This is the most comprehensive view of life which we can have by our
inherent power of the moral vision of the wholeness of life. 

And the teaching of Buddha is to cultivate this moral power to the highest
extent, to know that our field of activities is not bound to the plane of
our narrow self. This is the vision of the heavenly kingdom of Christ. 

When we attain to that universal life, which is the moral life, we become
freed from bonds of pleasure and pain, and the place vacated by our self
becomes filled with an unspeakable joy which springs from measureless love.
In this state the soul's activity is all the more heightened, only its
motive power is not from desires, but in its own joy. This is the Karma-yoga
of the Gita, the way to become one with the infinite activity by the
exercise of the activity of disinterested goodness.... 

Just as we find that the stronger the imagination the less is it merely
imaginary and the more is it in harmony with truth, so we see the more
vigorous our individuality the more does it widen towards the universal. For
the greatness of a personality is not in itself but in 
its content, which is universal, just as the depth of a lake is judged not
by the size of its cavity but by the depth of its water. 
 
RABINDRANATH TAGORE

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


CC	As always, warmest regards,

Cin

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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "W.Dallas TenBroeck" <dalval14@earthlink.net>
To: "'Cindy Chapman'" <cchapman1@adelphia.net>
Sent: Sunday, December 25, 2005 7:03 AM
Subject: RE: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT 


Dec 25 2005

Cindy:

Read carefully of the distinction between our PERSONALITY (the "self" of
this incarnation) and the INDIVIDUALITY ( the eternal Monad -
ATMA-BUDDHI-MANAS

The latter is permanent.

Have you read The KEY TO THEOSOPHY on this ? It gives valuable and precise
information.

The secret, as I see it, lies in there distinction between the "selfish
self" and the SELF (which is an indissoluble part of the UNIVERSAL SPIRIT )
-- the latter never "dies."

The "good" that we do is grafted so to say on to the permanent immortal
SELF, and becomes the "memory" of this, as of every incarnation.

The "evil" we may do, does not get dissipated entirely because of the death
of any personality, including the present one, but its impact -- as
educative Karma -- returns to us in succeeding incarnations -- we have to
adjust that with NATURE / the UNIVERSE.

snip