Theos-Talk Archives (November 1999 Message tl00225)

Alan, ok let's try one central idea to theosophy, karma.

 I see this as an "as you sow" concept.  An aside.  Before this list I spent
many years solo just trying to be the best I could be and trying to arrive at
some basic life philosophy.  All alone, just measuring my life experiences, I
determined that there was some kind of law that would ultimately cause
consequences if you acted in an unethical way.  It might not be immediate,
but there would be a price.  I wondered a lot about this and saw it perhaps
as the outworking of violation of innate conscience, or discord caused in the
physical universe by improper behavior.  The effect seemed increasingly clear
the more life I lived.(It helps to realize the effect of this law by doing a
lot of stupid things in life, so I was a good test subject)  This
discovery/realization help set the moral tone for my life. I teach in to my
children and in my writings.  I conidered it an "ethical law" as binding as
gravity.

As I recount the above to you, I'm  thinking you might say this was somehow
borrowed.  But it wasn't. I didn't even know the meaning of karma.  I had
long ago stopped studying religion or ethics, was unconvinced of God, and was
pretty sure death was just a really deep and restful sleep from which I would
never awake.  Even when religion was a part of my life, it was of the
Christion ilk.  No karma there, just a big surrogate daddy in the sky with
rewards and punishment.

 Anyway, pretty cool huh.  When I stumbled on theosophy(after recently--a
couple of months ago- having been reawakened by witnessing what psychics
could do) and saw the concept I was pretty irked that you guys stole my idea.
 Actually it is one of the things that really intrigued me causing me to look
further.  Nothing like coming up with ideas on your own to create a higher
level of surety.

  Now you can  convince others by mentioning this gospel of how the great
guru sage Randy discovered karma while in the spiritual desolation between
Bible thumping and theosophy.

My questions are:
Why do theosophists believe karma is a law governing this life?
Second, why do they believe it works beyond this life?
Third, who invented it and why?

Give me the real simple short version and then I'll pursue further that which
is troubling.

Thanks, Randy