Lucifer7, October 2008
Contents
New online
Short Quotes
Editorial: election matters & poll results
Karma From a Buddhist
Standpoint
The Ministry of Christ, Henry Drummond
Bridge Out
New on Katinka Hesselink
Net
More about who will in future decide who the next TS president will be
(though the proposal seems to be off the table)
New on All Considering
New on Squidoo
Short Quotes
... the
only 'Essentials' in the Religion of Humanity are - virtue, morality,
brotherly love, and kind sympathy with every living creature, whether
human or animal... 'In these Fundamentals - unity; in non-essentials -
full liberty; in all things - charity,' we say to all collectively and
to every one individually - keep to your forefather's religion,
whatever it may be - if you feel
attached to it, Brother; think with your own brains if you have any; be
by all means yourself whatever you are, unless you are really a bad
man.
And remember above all, that a wolf in his own skin is immeasurably
more
honest that the same animal - under a sheep's clothing.
N.
Sri Ram, Thoughts For Aspirants, Second Series
The way to
the truth to be found within oneself is by shedding all that one has
accumulated and with which one has become identified, thus reducing
himself to a condition where one is as a point of no dimension. Thus
unencumbered, one becomes simple in heart and mind, a condition of
simplicity as well
as freedom in which one's whole disposition and capacity are at the
service
of that truth.
Paul Brunton, The Secret Path, Chapter IV
Life teaches us silently while men utter their instruction in loud
voices.
Arthur C. Clarke's First Law
"When a distinguished but elderly
scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly
right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably
wrong."
Marie
Edith Beynon
We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand...
and
melting like a snowflake. Let us use it before it's too late.
Editorial: election matters & poll results
The
past week has been something of a rollercoaster in theosophical
circles.
First we hear that there is a proposal before the general council (sort
of the theosophical senate) to take away the voting rights of the
members and have the president elected by the general council. I
started a poll which shows that out of 52 people to vote a large
majority 88.5% agree that the members should decide who the next
president should be.
The other issues I put up for voting were:
Should
the general council only meet when more than half its members are
present? A majority thought that was a reasonable rule change: 87% out
of 46 votes.
A slight majority of 51% out of 47 felt that the term
of presidency should be 5 years. Another 19.1% felt the term should be
even shorter: 4 years. A respectable minority felt the term should stay
7 years: 29.8%.
66% out of 74 felt there should be a limit to
the amount of years a president can serve. Around 14 years seems
reasonable to them. Only 21.3% felt the president should stay on as
long as they are reelected.
Who should the election committee
for the presidential elections report to? A large majority of 78% felt
the committee should report to the general council instead of (as at
present) the executive council.
Not very surprisingly most of
my online voters (96.5%) felt that e-mail should become one of the
official means of communication.
A large majority (95.6%) of
the people felt that at the next election there should be more
information available about the candidates. However it has been noted
that previous new candidates did a lot of world wide touring before
running for president. That is of course also a decent way for the
membership to get to know the candidates. I think the point is: we want
to get to know the person we vote for.
Should the secretary of the
executive committee be elected by the general council or just be
approved by them? The majority (90.7%) felt that the general council
should decide.
Now for my more controversial questions. Some
people felt this speculation would not do anybody any good. I asked who
people would vote for if they could vote again. Did the proposal,
authored by John Algeo, change their minds about who should have become
president? In the original election the Western vote (which is probably
represented in this poll) went to John Algeo. John is still the
preferred candidate of 57.1% of the people who took this poll. However
a large minority now feel Radha Burnier was the right person for the
job (42.9%).
I also asked what people feel about the candidate
Radha Burnier would have wanted to run: P. Krishna. The western voters
say that in a choice between Krishna and Algeo, they would pick the
latter: 66.7%. This question was least popular: only 39 people gave
their opinion on it.
News this morning, as I prepare this
newsletter, is that the proposal is not even going to be on the agenda
of the general council meeting. I have no words for that news. I will
keep
the
poll
up for a bit longer, until it is confirmed by at least two other
members of the general council that the proposal is indeed not going to
be discussed.
There
are many kinds of Karma according to the Buddhist scriptures.
That which bears fruit in the present existence.
That
which bears fruit in rebirth.
That which bears
fruit at no fixed time.
By-gone karma, weighty,
abundant, close-at-hand, productive, supportive, counteractive and
destructive.
Karma may be likened to a seed which
produces fruit of its own kind, as for instance the acorn which can
only produce an oak tree; so each kind of Karma bears fruit of its own
kind, good or bad, immediate or delayed, weak or powerful.
I do not think it is possible to understand the Buddhist idea
of Karma from the exoteric scriptures alone. It would appear
from those available to us in the West, that there is no ego after
death. Therefore what is it that reincarnates, and of what
avail is Karma? It is often stated that only Karma remains,
but if there were no relatively permanent reincarnating unit, how did
Buddha achieve Buddhahood as the result of innumerable lives of effort,
or be able to look back upon his past lives? A continuing
entity is a logical necessity.
In the writer's
opinion, the Buddhist scriptures are not to be taken too
literally. Like all sacred scriptures, they were written for
the profane, while the inner teaching was reserved for the elect, those
who were capable of understanding the deeper meaning behind the facade
of apparent contradiction. One must remember, too, that
innumerable commentaries have been written in interpretation of
Buddha's teaching, and not all by wise men.
We
must, therefore, in interpreting the Buddhist scriptures, put them
before
the bar of reason, and avoid the mistake common to so many adherents of
Buddhism,
of becoming confused about the theory of non-ego. The fact
that Buddha
is said to have maintained silence on both questions, ego or non-ego,
obviously
implies that the ego was not denied.
Karma is one
of the basic teachings of Buddhism, and must logically rest upon the
necessity of a reincarnating unit. A great deal of Buddhist
thought deals with the law of cause and effect, and why there should
have arisen confusion of thought about the permanence of the Self or
Ego, it is difficult to understand, except as a result of corrupt
teaching.
The higher ego is called, by the Hindus,
the thread-soul, the sutratma. It is this which reincarnates
and inherits its own karma, and only the lower personality which
perishes at death, as each of its lower principles
disintegrate. It is upon the thread-soul that rests the karmc
responsibility of all its lower lives, and even though it dwells upon
its own higher plane and only sends down a Ray to dwell in denser
layers of matter, it yet assimilates the
experience of all these lower lives.
Theosophy
explains a great deal that is obscure in the Buddhist scriptures and
particularly so in regard to Karma and the nature of the
Self. While
the lower self has no permanency, changing from life to life, the real
Self
never dies, because it has always been; it has no beginning
and no
end. For vast, and to us incalculable periods of time, the
reincarnating units exist as separate entities, to be ultimately
absorbed into the parent source. (This is a great cosmic
mystery which can only be fully understood when we reach the threshold
of Nirvana).
With a continuing spiritual entity
carrying responsibility from life to life, one can understand the
theory of Karma, the reason for existence, the struggle between good
and evil, the striving to reach the goal of perfect knowledge, the
successes and failures of evolution.
To return to
the Buddhist scriptures. Some of them enumerate twelve kinds
of Karma which I append for the reader's reflection.
KARMA
WHICH BEARS FRUIT IN THE PRESENT INCARNATION. This results
from actions in the present life. (If we burn our fingers, we
have not
to wait until another life before we feel the pain).
Accidents in this
life may be the result of present carelessness irrespective of the
past.
We can set fresh causes in motion at any moment. On the other
hand
it may be the result of our immediate past life or of one much
earlier.
It is said that the Karma of humanity is so heavy from Atlantean times
that
a great deal of it is held back by the Elder Brothers of the race until
there
is strength to bear it. Those who have entered the Path find
their
lives full of trouble and pain, because before they can become perfect,
they
must exhaust their bad Karma. Therefore, Karma that would in
the ordinary
way be spread over a number of lives is concentrated into
one. No one
is immune from this law. One can realize the accumulation of
weighty
Karma that is being liquidated by greatly suffering egos during this
war,
and indeed during the period preceding it. Unfortunately a
fresh set
of weighty Karma is being engendered by those who are the instruments
of
Karma. "Needs must that evil comes, but woe unto him by whom
it cometh."
Bad karma generating bad karma is a vicious circle which can only be
broken
by knowledge and forgiveness.
KARMA WHICH BEARS
FRUIT IN REBIRTH. This is the Karma which we are making at
every moment of our present lives and which may have to wait for
circumstances of future births before it can be worked out.
KARMA
WHICH BEARS FRUIT AT NO FIXED TIME. This is often called
fluidic karma, i.e., our thoughts and actions may bring upon us karma
that would not
otherwise have fallen upon us. (It bears fruit whenever it
can find
an opportunity). We can modify past karma by our reactions to
life.
We can neutralize it by setting other forces in motion.
By-gone
Karma is dealt with above.
WEIGHTY KARMA WHETHER
GOOD OR BAD such as cruelty, murder, suicide, or lofty deeds, bears
fruit before lighter karma. H.P.B. stated in the Secret
Doctrine that Patriotism and great actions in national service are not
altogether good from the point of view of the highest. To
benefit a portion of humanity is good, but to do so at the expense of
others is bad. Therefore, in patriotism, the venom is present
with the good. In this war, therefore, however patriotic the
instincts of the fighting men may be, they are inevitably creating bad
karma by the violent deeds they have to perform.
War brings out all the worst in human nature, and few are pure and
passionless
enough to act without attachment to their deeds.
ABUNDANT
KARMA bears fruit before that which is not abundant. This
presumably means that continuous acts will produce abundant karma,
isolated acts "not abundant".
CLOSE AT
HAND. Karma remembered at point of death. The karma
which a man remembers at death springs up with him in rebirth.
HABITUAL KARMA. That which has become habitual
through much repetition. This will produce endless rebirths.
PRODUCTIVE OR SUPPORTIVE KARMA either good or bad. Supportive
karma is not supposed to produce fruit, but when rebirth is the result
of other karma, it supports the ensuing happiness or misery.
COUNTERACTIVE
KARMA. Often counteracts fruit of other karma, suppresses it or does
not suffer it to continue.
DESTRUCTIVE KARMA.
Destroys weak karma, preventing it from bearing fruit and makes room
for its own fruition.
The insight into Karma and
the fruit of karma possessed by the Buddhas was not shared by their
disciples.
There is individual karma, sex karma, or
race karma. Egos are magnetically attracted to those races
and countries where their special characteristics can find an outlet.
With regard to sex karma, egos are born into both sexes
according to the needs of their karma. Some students say
three lives in a man and three in a woman, but I question a fixed
number of lives in each sex, everything depending upon individual
karmic obligations. It is certain that the wrongs inflicted
by one sex upon the other will be expiated. Experience in
both sexes is necessary for complete evolution.
There
are also distinct differences between physical, emotional, mental and
spiritual karma. Each works out in its own plane.
It is possible to suffer physical pain as a result of past physical
karma, yet to inherit good emotional and mental karma, so that despite
physical handicaps, a good deal of happiness is enjoyed. The emotional
and mental states of past lives govern our emotional and mental
opportunities in this one, and our reactions to these opportunities
will govern our future lives. There is a never ceasing play
of cause and effect.
The only karma that frees
the ego from rebirth is PASSIONLESS KARMA, deeds without
attachment. The ideal conduct is to be "In sorrow not
dejected, in joy not overjoyed, dwelling outside the stress of passion,
fear and anger." To be without attachment breaks the round of
births and deaths. Therefore, it is enjoined upon us to act
without thought of merit. Good karma is
as binding as bad, and a good man far removed from a Wise one.
The two potent causes of rebirth are Love and Hate.
We are drawn life after life into incarnation with those we have either
loved or hated. It may be that the hatred is only on one
side. Personal love has to be transmuted into universal
compassion, for it is as binding as hate and will create
rebirth. The great battle ground for the spirit is Mother
Earth. Spirit is deeply encased in matter while on earth and
has to free itself by knowledge and lack of attachment.
The
Buddhist ideal of conduct is lofty indeed, and has shone like a jewel
throughout the centuries. It is difficult to achieve a
passionless state,
yet it is the only way to freedom from rebirth and suffering.
To begin
even in a small way to destroy the fruits of action, is to achieve a
peace
that is not easily shaken. It is a test that everyone can
apply to
himself.
It is certain that in every present
moment lies the Karma of the distant future, as well as the karma of
the past. H.P.B. stated that every one
of our egos has the karma of past Manvantaras behind.
The Ministry of
Christ
Henry Drummond
Christ sets His followers no tasks. He appoints no hours. He
allots no
sphere. He Himself simply went about and did good. He did not stop life
to do some special thing which should be called religious. His life was
His religion. Each day as it came brought round in the ordinary course
its natural ministry. Each village along the highway had someone
waiting to be helped. His pulpit was the hillside, His congregation a
woman at a well. The poor, wherever He met them, were His clients; the
sick, as often as He found them, His opportunity. His work was
everywhere; His workshop was the world.
Bridge Out
A priest and a pastor from the local churches are standing by
the road, pounding a sign into the ground, that read:
The End is Near!
Turn Yourself Around Now
Before it's Too Late!
As a car sped past them, the driver yelled, "Leave us alone,
you religious nuts!"
From the curve they heard screeching tires and a big splash.
The priest turns to the pastor and asks, "Do you think the sign should
just say, 'Bridge Out'?"
Previous issues of
Lucifer7 can be found at the online
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