Theos-Talk Archives (December 1999 Message tl00131)

>>Murray wrote:
Responding to Kym,
My understanding is that the etheric body,
in modern theosophical use of the word, is
involved in the construction as well as
maintenance of the physical body.>>

Sorry Kym, but I agree with Murray. Each
"body" is a manifestation of preceding ones
from divinity down to the physical, the
ultimate Cause being the divine Monad.

Jerry S.

[Dallas to JRC:]
>>If you reject Individual immortality and the continuity of the
growth of experience for each individual, and if you also reject
Karma as a universal law in which everything operates, then what
is the basis for human progress, then what have you left?  Why
continue to live at all?  Where is "Hope?"  Why do some people
hold the view that there is a GOAL?  And what is wrong with the
concept that the idea of spirituality and perfect accord
(brotherhood) are unrealistic and unrealizable dreams?>>

[My answer to Dallas (even though I wasn't asked):]
At the spiritual level, the concept of individuality
simply ceases to exist.

Karma is "universal" in this manvantara only, and is the
over-riding principle of samsara - maya or illusion.

Human progress is an illusion and is only as real as
this physical Earth is real.

There is no goal to life other than a divine
directive to self-manifest. However, once we become
aware of spirituality, it only makes good sense
to develop and employ compassion toward others.
They are, after all, aspects of ourselves.  There
is a human need for goals, for accomplishing things,
and this need is based on the concept of time which
leads to further concepts like change, growth,
and evolution. Once we perceive the timeless spirit,
none of these illusions have any further hold on us.

Because we are self-manifesting, it is a "goal"
of sorts to develop and express all of our vast
potential. Brotherhood is a part of this.

Jerry S.

[Chuck on karma:]
>>It's a fraud that was created by the Brahmanical caste to keep the Warrior
caste from using the Brahmans for archery practice.  It has no more truth to
it than the xtian hell and serves strictly as a club to beat people over the
head with.>>

I view "its your karma" as equivalent to a good Xtian's "its god's will"
which is no answer at all. On the other hand, Chuck, some people probably
need a club over their head...

>>Progress is a nice 19th century myth.  But we are entering he 21st century
and it's time we realized that our victorian forebears were just a little
nuts.>>

Chuck, you are taking the words out of my mouth. One man's involution is
another woman's evolution. The Theosophical notion of going through an
entire manvantara of lifetimes just to be self-conscious strikes me as
rather absurd when the spiritual outcome of this manvantara is to learn that
there is no self anyway (a real contradiction in logic). (Of course this
whole physical world is absurd, so who knows...)

>>Welcome to the Age of Chaos folks.  The only rule of life is there are no
rules.
Think that'll stir things up?
Chuck the Heretic>>

If I agree with you, does that make me a heretic too? Actually your
statement above sounds a lot like Uncle Al's "Do What Thou Wilt" and
should give many a good Theosophist a belly ache. Not nice on a Theosophical
list. Good job!

Jerry S.