Theos-Talk Archives (June 1997 Message tl00458)

In a message dated 97-06-17 09:14:00 EDT, Tom wrote:
(quoting me)
> >When I use the term "karma" here, by the way, I'm not referring to it
>  >as "good" nor "bad" karma (a terminology that I have problems with
>  >anyway).
>
then responded:
>  If karma cannot be seen as good or bad, then it is irrelevant.  Only to
>  the extent that karma serves as a motivating force in either pleasurably
>  reassuring one that what one did was good or as a disciplining force in
>  painfully teaching one that what one did was bad, is it relevant.  What
>  good would it do to understand karma if it did not change behavior?

Hi Tom,

You made an excellent point and I should clarify what I said. The Law of
Karma, in itself, is neither good nor bad in my opinion. It just exists, as
does the Law of Gravity, and operates just as impersonally and inexorably. In
fact, I tend to look at it as the Law of Cause and Effect. This, however,
does not make it any less relevant than the operation of the Law of
Gravity--a law that we don't usually attribute "good" or "bad" qualities to.
Both are quite relevant, regardless of how we view their effects. Just as we
need to overcome the Law of Gravity to escape Earth on space missions, we
need to overcome the Law of Karma to escape the three worlds (reincarnating
in them). I know that I'm horribly oversimplifying my ideas on this, but I'm
trying to avoid writing a tome. (There are many other issues, such as serving
humanity vs. personal development, which I see as inseparable, etc. but will
leave that for other times.)

On the levels of the personality, we see its operation as good or bad and
respond accordingly. I agree that these responses to the "effect" side of the
Law of Cause and Effect move us forward on the evolutionary path. However,
that works only up to a point on the Path because these responses, being
responses of the lower mind and emotions, are only of limited importance when
viewed from causal levels, IMHO. The pain-pleasure response could take us
only so far if that was the only extent of karmic activity because it
wouldn't be available for interpreting the effects of actions (causes)
performed in earlier incarnations. Without a memory of prior incarnations,
this would be meaningless if the only relevance of the Law of Karma was the
teaching of lessons perceivable by the lower mind and emotions.  So, I
believe that karma also has a direct effect on the vehicles (I know, Alan, I
know... ;-D) in terms of their level of vibration which is even more
important in the evolutionary process. But this is independent of how the
personality perceives a particular karmic effect.

My views on karma (it's "goodness" or "badness") are also partially
influenced by concepts I've encountered in studying Karma Yoga. But I'm
trying to keep this post from getting even longer. From the karma yoga
viewpoint, ultimately, all karma is the same in that all of it must be
transcended if one is to be free of the need to reincarnate (destruction of
the Causal Body).

Lynn