Theos-Talk Archives (April 1999 Message tt00102)

In a message dated 4/6/99 5:03:20 PM, schuelergerald@optec-hq.optec.army.mil 
writes:

>Oh, but they do indeed. At least in a psychological sense.
>There are only two possibilites: (1). The view of karma as
>one in which every single cause must always produce an 
>effect which is in turn a cause for another effect and so
>on forever and forever and forever, which seems to be your 
>viewpoint, Dallas, or (2) The view that one's personal karma 
>can be allieviated, that cause/effect can sometimes be
>cancelled out, and even eliminated in the sense that there
>can be causes without effects and effects without causes.
>In a Christian sense, view no 1 is the old law of Moses while
>view no 2 is that of Jesus.  Obviously I prefer view no 2.

Whatever view you prefer is a matter of your own personal opinion.  And, no 
one can argue with that.  But, when you state categorically that there are 
causes without effects and effects without causes, you are way out of space.  
Of course, it's obvious that karma can be eliminated or mediated by setting 
up a counter cause--a reverse wave, so to speak.  Sure, one can immediately 
recognize the error of his ways, feel the anguish and pain of suffering he 
has caused, and immediately resolve to help all those who suffer the way he 
now does.  This is a mitigation of karma in itself, since it is heartfelt and 
therefore resolves to the higher nature, and thus to higher consciousness, or 
Self awareness--that is at the root of all causes (and of all Will, behind 
which stands Desire).  The energy of this field may be so great that it can 
easily reverse a wave of karmic causation on any lower plane.  (But not 
without a commensurate time lapse, since karma is vibration, and all 
vibrations travel through time).  Could this be what you mean when you 
discuss the possibility of enlightenment in one lifetime?  But, apparently 
only Milarepa seems to have managed to do it, since such reversal of all 
one's karma by an instant act of redemption would require that all 
compensatory (reverse) karma would have to be completed in that same 
lifetime.  (However, here, the cause has shifted to a higher plane in order 
to induce a reversed effect on the lower plane.  But, I still would like to 
hear your version of a "cause without an effect" and an "effect without a 
cause".)  in any event, the individual "self enlightened" monad would have to 
serve out his time as Bodhisattva through many lifetimes--if he didn't have 
the fortitude (and the magical training) to do it all in one--as Milarepa did.

The laws of Moses only referred to actions on the physical plane.  The laws 
of Jesus simply moved such action up to the spiritual plane.  The problem is 
that Moses was dealing with saving his people from slavery and the physical 
depredations of others, while Jesus was saving his people from themselves.  
Each used the "magic" that was appropriate to the plane (of ignorance) they 
were individually working on.  They both accomplished their purposes, 
however--but inadvertently caused unfortunate harm to many of their 
followers--due to misinterpretation of their teachings, as individuals and 
groups tried to apply them to different circumstances in different karmic 
fields of action.

LHM  



-- THEOSOPHY WORLD -- Theosophical Talk -- theos-talk@theosophy.com

Letters to the Editor, and discussion of theosophical ideas and
teachings. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message consisting of
"subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to theos-talk-request@theosophy.com.