Theos-Talk Archives (May 1995 Message tl00033)

Liesel:

Some stray comments ...

Each of us has a unique purpose in life, and we cannot really
find out that purpose by rigidly following some external
rulebook. Rules are important, though, as a means of social
cooperation. One good rule, for instance, is that everyone
drives on the right-hand side of the road. (Granted, of course,
that in England and some other countries we drive on the
left-hand side.)

With self-responsibility comes the decision-making process. We
don't take away that from others when we nurture them, granting
them resources and loving support. We're taught to not interfere
in others free will, in their karma.

And as we approach a study of Theosophy, it does not mean that we
all think in unison, that we all parrot the same words. What we
study may be difficult at times to put into any words at all.
Our studies will take us into the unknown, into uncharted waters.
Most of what we and others know is culture-specific, learned as
we grew up, and we are now seeking to study things that transcend
life on this earth as we know it.

Jerry S:

You're right that we share responsibility with others. Our karma
with them is something that is dynamic, living, a link between
people. The "banker's model" of karma, where we talk about
debits and credits, of debts owed and debts collected, does not
go very far in describing the living reality.

We are our karma, we are not so much a fixed self as we are a
collection of living links to others. When we take an active
role in the lives of others, we pour new energy into our links
with them, we forge stronger bonds, and we naturally tie our
destinies together.

JRC:

Your point about the need to act with clarity, justice, and
compassion is important. The idea of karma, like many others,
can be used as an excuse for being cold-hearted and
self-centered. Karma is best considered as derived from the law
of Compassion: the lives of others are as important as our own
because we realize our essential unity and cannot help but want
to serve and care for others.

I'd say that karma is as universal as gravity, and it is
descriptive of the interaction of living things. We can
understand chemistry and apply that knowledge in the lab with
useful results. The knowledge of the laws of nature grants the
power to affect and change things, to be better able to fashion
the world for better or worse, as our hearts dictate. The same
is true of karma and other metaphysical laws as with the laws of
physics.