Theos-Talk Archives (May 1997 Message tl00247)

At 05:04 AM 5/19/97 -0400, you wrote:
>Krishnaji's speech was definitely an eye opener.  I have read about the
>things he had spoken of in many different writings, however, his use of
>examples, as always, has made everything much clearer.
>
>Honesty, as he describes it, is not a trait of which I possess.  There are
>too many contradictions in my life.  As far as insight is concerned, I
>have never had anything close to a "thoughtless" act which did not turn
>out to be a big mistake.  Everything I do is thought out first.  I
>remember my parents saying, "Think twice before you..." and it makes me
>wonder, 'Were they wrong?'  Not really.
>
>It appears that insight is not just action without thought.  But
>thoughtless action without regard to the future of that action.  For
>example, Krishna's advice to Arjuna in the Gita during his moral dilemma
>was much the same.  It was his duty.  Think nothing of it.  Do it, and go
>on.  However, this was insight as the first step to acquiring it, I think.
>Krishnaji seemed to say this in his speech.  You have to rid yourself of
>the contradictions before insight may come into being.
>
>I don't know if I can rid myself of these contradictions.  I have to be
>able to say, "I did this because...".  If I don't, I feel guilty about
>being irresponsible and I fear that others will think of me as being so.
>
>It seems to me that the only way to rid oneself of contradiction is to
>stop caring.  The Catch-22 is that caring is a part of being sensitive,
>and Krishnaji states that sensitivity is a requirement for the acquisition
>of insight...  Another contradiction exists already.
>
>Can one be sensitive toward others and not care at the same time?  Perhaps
>this has a little to do with the impersonal/personal argument.  Can one be
>impersonally sensitive?  If not, then what?
>
>If I have to stop caring in order to help, then I probably will never get
>anywhere with my own evolution.  However, I want to help everything
>"ascend".  How can I do that without understanding what evolution is all
>about?  I believe this is that line where "book smart" and "experience"
>meet.
>
>---
>Jaqi.
Hello, Jaqi:

 What I found in many of Krishnaji's material is that on many things he has
been able to describe concepts very precisely.

 In my own experience, I could see many instances when I read or saw some
facts, instantly I have acted, without thinking through and going over the
facts many times. It may have taken time to understand the facts or see the
facts but once it was done, the course of action decided was immediate.
Everytime this has happened, I found the action was very decisive and
correct and most efficient and productive of good results.

 One of the reasons that I picked on this particular quote of Krishnaji was
that  there was another instance where honesty was a critical issue. Wood in
his book mentions of an incident. As he himself had mentioned, he was in
touch with and was helped by a Master -- and once he was pointedly asked if
he was utterly honest.

I feel that when we want to simplify our lives and at the same times become
efficient in our actions (and perhaps minimize the bad Karma we create due
to our foolish and ignorant ways) and make our lives joyful, utter honesty
seems to be a critical ingredient. I also recall seeing a round table of
psychiatrists on TV discussing the widespread problems in the society, and
one of them mentioning that much of our interpersonal problems in life can
be traced to lack of honesty. So I think it is a worthwhile "experiment" to
try being utterly honest for a couple of months and see how life becomes.
May be there will be a great surprise and joy and may be honesty will become
addictive.

My 2 cents worth. May be others can contribute their thoughts on the issue.


....doss