Theos-Talk Archives (September 1997 Message tl00323)

At 09:22 AM 9/17/97 -0400, K. Paul Johnson wrote:
>
>Hear, hear to Kym's comments about Dennis's effort to hang onto
>belief in a perfect universe regardless of the implications.
>One of the big revelations to me after spending a month and a
>half in India is that the Theosophical claim by HPB and other
>writers-- that if people believed in reincarnation and karma
>they would behave better-- is flapdoodle bullshit.  I saw more total
>indifference to human suffering there in a few weeks than in my
>entire life until then.  And all those indifferent people were
>sure that suffering was what the sufferers had coming to them.
>Maybe Mother Theresa made such a big impact there because she
>ran so much against the grain of the cultural assumptions.
>

In such a short time of 1-1/2 months, what one sees is just the surface.
>From what I have seen over several decades in India is that on much serious
issues, there is more of application of the principle of Karma and
Reincarnation, however distorted the understanding may be. Principally, the
thought that generally comes to most in India is the fear that doing
something wrong is going to get you serious consequences at a future time
which may be next moment or next manvantara. 

May be someone from the West who has spent a considerable time in India may
be able to give a feedback.

............doss