Theos-Talk Archives (September 1997 Message tl00244)

At 07:13 AM 9/12/97 -0400, Douwe wrote:
>I wonder why there are so many that take a oposition against creating
karma...
>Why would you try to avoid karma? isn't it a great healer, isn't
>the sword of nemesis that leads you on the right path?
>I feel that avoiding karma by 'not acting' against your natural desires,
>tricks you into standing still, or natural desires will come out one
>day with vulcanic force...

Hi Douwe,

The reason I personally try to avoid creating karma is that it ties one to
the wheel of rebirth, which is quite different by the way than
reincarnating by choice to serve humanity. In other words, it delays ones
evolution after a certain point. It is the great teacher, and we couldn't
have evolved to where we are without it, but when one is aspiring to tread
the Path, I believe that it is necessary to start breaking the karmic
chains. Even so-called "good" karma is binding because we're forced to
reincarnate for it to play out. I guess it could be looked at as potential
energy that must be expended. Or as a field of energy that must be
transcended.

Acting without creating karma isn't the suppression of desire. I agree with
you that suppressing ones desires inhibits ones progress. One becomes
linked to the inhibited desires just as inexorably as if they give full
rein to them. Instead it is cultivating the absence of desire or detachment
from it. I think it's more along the lines of recognizing that one has a
desire, standing back from it and deciding whether to act upon it but for
the right reasons. I think it is critical to acknowledge the existence of
the desire before one can become detached from it. I also think that it's
important to realize that one is *not* ones desires, that they are not part
of the True Self.
>
>The path is recognition of the divine spark, and opening the eyes of
>your heart to it... for a periode there will be two desires in you,
>one directed to the divine (coming from the Divine Will) and one directed
to the dull
>and desirous matter (coming from your will).

I agree. It's a critical point where you intuit the existence of the divine
spark within you and consciously decide to move toward it. The difficulty
is that the lower ego is so powerful, that we need to ask ourselves why we
have the desire to move toward the divine spark and struggle to transcend
even that desire. I think a careful examination of oneself will often lead
to the realization that one has selfish reasons for even setting foot on
the Path. But fortunately the lower ego is not alone in this struggle as it
is the Higher Self, I believe, that wrestles with the lower self to gain
control.

>In this sence there are two paths in you then... one waxing and
>one waning. the waxing one (in the all compasing radiation of the divine
>spark) will start to wane when you act after your own nature (creating karma)
>but, it will leave you in the darkness of your own nature, so that
>your desire for the Divine Light grows bigger then before.
>Like this you will be taken out of your darkness, by a darshan of
>the Divine Light, and you are less likely to fall back into the karmic ring
>of cause and effect.

I agree. Actually, I think we're almost on the same wavelength. I believe
as we struggle into a larger measure of the Divine Light, we eventually
transcend the astral, the realm of desire, for the Divine Light is not
found there. BTW, what is a "darshan"? It sounds like a Sanskrit word, but
is a new one to me. :-)

>It is eazy to mis interpretate this, so that you might believe that
>you just need to have a 'absence' of karma before you die living, but
>it is just the other way around, you die living, ant then there will
>be 'absence' of karma.

Fascinating. Could you explain this a bit more?

>Fos as much it can be absent for a living being (Jesus stated, 'no
>one is rightious, and then absolutely no one', including him self.
>
>Having no such thing as a recognition of a divine spark, then it
>will be of importance that you keep your eyes open in your life, and
>keep disire for being saved out of the heavy burden of life alive.
>Avoiding stress of matter, is avoiding life,
>avoiding life, is avoiding getting sick of it,
>avoiding getting sick of life avoids the spark to have the space to radiate
>in the space of your heart because it is filled with useless dabblings,
>that are there to exhaust the spark.

I agree that avoiding life is definitely not the path to freedom or true
Self-realization. The path to it leads directly through matter as the
Divine descended into matter for the purpose of gaining mastery over it
(eating of the Tree of Knowlege, the Fall, etc. which has be terribly
misinterpreted).
>
>You will only gasp for air when you realize that you are drowning.

I like that!!!!
>
>In revelations 3-16 it sais something like: 'what I have against you is that
>you are lukewarm, you should have been hot or cold'.
>Stating that you can get pretty far by being lukewarm but that you
>will never be able to cross 'the border' this way.

I don't interpret the absence of desire as at all being lukewarm. The key
is transmuting desire (which is astral-based) into its higher
correspondence (which is buddhic, if I remember correctly).
>
>I hope that I express myself well, because I feel somewhat hindered in being
>clear by having to write in english (which is not my language).

You expressed yourself beautifully. When I asked you to explain something
further it was because of the subtlty of the concept, not a lack of mastery
over English.

Lynn