Doctrine of Karma

EXPOS ITI ON

O O O O O

DOCTRI N E O F KARMA

BROT H ER A T I S H A

Lon don

T heosolyhical P ub li s hi n g S ociet y

1 6 1 N e w B n d t r e W . o S e t ,

1 9 1 0

C O N T E N T S

P A GE

M C HA P T E R I . F U NDA ENTA L M EA N I NGS O F

K A R M A

O R G N D E VE LO P M E N T A N D I I , , C ESSATION O F K A R M A A B S T R A C T A N D C O N C R E T E KARMA

T H E P H YS I CA L KARMA IN ,

BI LO GI CA L M E NT L D O , A A N M ORA L S P H E R ES ACTI VE AND P A SSI VE KARMA KAR MA CONSIDE R ED F U NCT ION

A LLY

K A R M A IN T H E P O WE R AND RE ADIN E SS WIT H WH I C H I T

T AK ES E F F E CT

R M CC R D I N G T T I M E VIII . K A A A O O

O W R G -O E F F E CT S F O K IN U T .

Goon A N D BA D K A R M A , A N D T H E P LA CE S I N WH I C H

E F F E CT I VE P A GE

E A O P S S C H A P T E R X . J U S T IC ND C M A I O N I N I T S M ET H O D

H U M A N P LA ETA RY A , N , ND C OS M IC KARMA T H E T H R E E AND F O U R KI N D S O F KARMA

I VI U AL A C LL T V X III . IND D ND O EC I E KARMA T H E KARMI C

M O D I F I C AT I O N S O F KARMA A ND

S O M E B E L I E F S A T T A C H E D

T H E R ETO

T O BE L R T F R M X VI . LESSONS EA N O A K N O WLE D GE O F KARMA

X V . S U M M RY O F T H E D T R II A OC INE , AND I T S C O RO LLA R I ES EXPOSITI ON

D O CTR I NE O F KAR MA

CHAPTE R I

T H E F U N D A M E N T A L

M EAN I N GS O F KAR M A .

There are ﬁ ve fundamental m e an in gs o f w ord the Karma , and no single word in any European lan guage w ill su fﬁ ce to convey all t hat is meant by t hat one

an scr it s S word . I t denote

t i I . A c . , or Act vity

2 . C The Law of Action , of ause

ff . and E ect , or of Causation

. a resu lt ct s . 3 Retribution , as of A ’ ” 4 . One s store o f M er it s and ’

D . Demerits , or one s eserts

5 . C haracter . 6 D octrine of K arma.

The root meaning of the word Karma is Act ion , and as every action contains ff e inherently its coming e ect , w thus get an d at its second meaning , it is in this sense that the word is most frequently

used , and so we frame a general working

D efi n it io n : I t of Karma, viz . is the Law f of Cause and Ef ect , absolutely inviolable in the mental , moral , and material worlds . B e in so m g , it is infallibly the eans by which we reap as we sow, so that no d goo deed can escape its reward , and no fi t e B evil deed its p nalty . y this Law our present character and development are t he exact products of our past evo lu ~ tion from an embryonic and potential state through numerous and varied states n and experie ces . It follows , therefore, that our future 15 i n our own hands now to make or mar. This is a great fact to o o i d be c gnisant , and a mere knowle ge of this Law is su ffi cie n t to change our vie w of Life and E volution . There is f i s no escape rom the Law, and t measurements are always just, and for

r f a ou welfare . Our present li e is strange 7 F undamental M eanings.

u admixt re of good and evil , of strong o f a t and of weak points , bili ies and deﬁcien cies fo r , it is in very deed the

' soil which w e ourselves have prepared

i n mt/z r ou /z in the past , and this soil , and g D o m it w . , lies our gro th we have any ' s uﬁ er in gs ? They are the results o f eyil done in the past somewhere and some when , and , more than that , these very sufferings are the very best means of us lesson s w e m o t n eed teaching the s . a a This lso is great fact to recognise , and when it is thoroughly grasped will chan ge o ur pessimism to a boundless optimism . A n d what of our joys ? These also are the results o f past good

s . m ust deed Good come out of good , and evil out of evil . We are here on

a long, long pilgrimage through matter, and many are the lessons we have to n G lear ere the Great oal is reached , but w e are e n couraged by the knowl e dge that we can shape our future if only we

make use of this knowledge , and rise more and more swiftly t o union w i t h that Divine Self within that sitteth in 8 D octrine of K arma.

be on d the Heart, which is y the reach of

. A n u it a Karmic Law Thus in the g , i xvii . f , we read The True Sel is beyond

Action ( Karma) . Actions have a begin 1 ning and an end , and the body s tied

down by action . With thy heart intent e t upon the R al Entity , hou wilt certainly

come into M y Sel f. These are the o f words the Lord Krishna, speaking in n the ame of the Supreme Lord .

From this root meaning , all the other meanings of Karma ﬂ ow natur w ally . Popularly it is synonymous ith

retribution , for retribution is the result

of past deeds . We say of a man who ff has su ered some signal misfortune , or an met with unexpected stroke of luck , ” seem s that it is his Karma. It to be

luck or chance , but it is not so it is the

‘ resultant of something done 1n the past . There can be no such thing as chance

n . in _ a u iverse governed by a Wise Being ’ a Ag in , we speak of one s accumulated o f deserts , or stock merits and demerits , ’ as one s Karma . Events happen because it is our Karma that they should so 9 F undamental M eanings.

happen ; some events can never happen

because they are not in our Karma . A certain kind of seed will only produce e t its lik , and so we can get nothing hat

we do not deserve , nor reap what is not b r ib e sown . We cannot heaven , nor can

we slip the noose of our own making . Weeping will not give us any more than

we deserve . The very Angels or Gods are there because they deserve to b e ;

“

and the spirits of evil are there also , because it is their desert . And yet we are not in any sense children o f a blind

Fate, for j ust as we had the power in the past to make our present what it is , so we have equal power now to create a happy and useful future . The Law is fo r bou n d really our best friend , it is to u s it help if we keep . If we smart the

smart is from ourselves , for the Law

may not be broken with impunity . What a song of triumph did the Lord B uddha sing wh e n the Truth dawned upon him

I B d h who we t w t all m the s , u d , p i h y bro r t a s e t , 10 D oc r e f K a t i n zo arm .

’ Whose heart was broken by a whole world s

woe, La and am la fo r e is L ! ugh g d, th re iberty ’ H o l y e who suﬁ er ! know Ye s ffe m o u l u r fro y rse ves . l m el N one e se co p s.

i r E dwi n A r n ol L A s a . S d ight of i . )

si n iﬁ es Lastly , Karma g Character, an d so rightly , for our Character is the

d / pro uct of all past lives , with their thoughts , deeds , and words . We must a le rn to take people as they are, for they are the result of their own past ; not that we must ever cease trying to r better others , but that we must lea n fo r if true tolerance , any are worse or n n more ig orant tha we are, we must remember that once we were in their condition , and we must not refrain from helping if we are to expect encourage s o w ment from Those above u . H many turn up their noses and sit in con ' d amnation on sinners And this in ’ spite of Jesus rebuke to those who n M wished to cond em the agdalen . It is not always those whose faults are F undamental M eani ngs. 1 1

v W ff most isible that are the orst o enders , some faults are too deep down to be f seen by others . There ore a knowledge of Karma must o f necessity m ake us tolerant . H A P T R I I C E .

T H E M O RI G I N , DEVELOP E NT , AN D CESS AT I ON O F

KARM A .

s I . The Origin of Karma lies es en t i ally in the nature of the Second Person The of the Cosmic Trinity . Second Logos is considered as inherently con taining within Himself a Duality , in which Duality lies potential manifesta tion . It is the Duality of Life and

Substance , of activity and passivity But the D irecting Agent of the O pera tions of this D uality is the Third Person of the Cosmic Trinity , the Third Logos I t or Cosmic Intelligence . is the Activity or rather Guidance of the All Conserving M ind that brings about the manifestations of phenomenal nature out of the Duality of the Second Logos

- or Purusha Prakriti . The Duality in e Nature, howev r , is only apparent . The e 3 O rigi n , D evelopmen t , tc. 1

v male and female , the active and passi e , f the Li e and Substance , and all other dualities in Nature are at the root One ,

One in the First Logos . These dualities are opposite poles of one he and the same thing . T pristine Activity or Karma has in it the germs f o f of all future ef ects , the whole i universe in fact . Now t may seem strange on ﬁ rst hearing that it is some a times spoken of as Pristine Avidy ,

Nescience, or Ignorance , or as Blind Activity ; but with careful consideration it will be seen that in its incipiency of u n Karma is course incomplete , “ ” l 1 evo y ed n o ran t . , and thus g This is i ndeed the primeval Chaos , and so with all reverence be it said that the Activity

in Nature is primally ignorant , “ ” “ ” blind , or chaotic There is a si n iﬁcan ce very deep g in all this . Yet

it is not so in actuality , for the Cosmic Intelligence throbs in it with divine power and directs all Karmic forces o f to o ne evolution to one Divine End , f s Per ect Con ummation . 1 4 D octri ne of K arma.

2 . The development of Karma is seen in its operations in manifested an d nature, is practically the subject ee be of this treatise , so nothing n d said here save that t he ﬁ e lds of its development in man and in Nature lie M M in the ental , oral , and Physical

realms . f 3 . The Cessation o Karmic activity in man is attai n ed when t he True Self “ Within is found , when the Kingdom ” ' ’ ” of Heaven which is Wztk zn is

reached . It is that Light which we

seek , and yet at the same time carry us v always with , nay , which is in ery f deed our Real Sel , though not as we

think it to be now. For all the time we are mistaking the veils of the Tru e f Self for the Sel . One by O n e our fleet in g Personalities flit into the Dark and mess , but the Light still burns is never quenched . It is the True Ever rn ts Bu ing Lamp of the Alchemis , ee i u uns n , bur ed , wrapped p, hidden , because our eyes are turned away O from I t . H W true it is that we fin d O n D ev lo ment etc. 15 rigi , e p ,

v v Oursel es by losing oursel es , that ” ﬁn d it he that loseth his life shall . When we cease to identify ourselves n d with the personality ! we h T H AT h whic never began and never can end . o f Then is the Cessation Karma . Becoming one with the Lord o f the us Law, the Law holds no more . “ ” Joy ! Joy ! I triumph now ! sings F ar iduddin S hak r u n I g j , no more know myself as simply me ! ” In the I 6 K au sh1t aki . Upanishad , , , we read , “ Thou art the Self, what Thou art , am I That . No more is there M e M h and ine and T ee and Thine, as ll sings Omar Khayyam , for we are a t one wi h the Great Brahm , each in

N . All , All in each , and All in the O E i a A n u t . In the g , xxxvi , we read , The Sage necessarily bec ometh that upon xe s which his mind is ﬁ d. This i the ” Eternal M ystery. Therefore re ﬂect upon Brahm : and when the mighty rolling M anvantaras give up to t he E ternal Divine O ne all that they held f Him - all H e f c e rom , of ims l snat h d 6 D r of K ma 1 oct ine ar .

from Himself, then cometh the Great Rest which pr ecedes another M ani festing Period , then cometh the Great “ P rala a y or Night of Brahm , in which no more work is done, and in which Karma is no more for all those who have reached the Goal .

8 1 D octri ne of K arma.

Act or Thought . ( Prof. Lafcadio

1n - Hearn Gleanings in Buddha Fields . ) Thus 1t will be seen that the whole universe is the Thought ” or Spiritual “ ct G A of o d. There is One Eternal ” - Thinker, thinking non eternal Thoughts l

a . I . M ( Katha Upanish d I I , 4 ) The ystery of Creation was never more b r ieﬂy stated .

In the Concrete sense , Karma is

Activity in the Objective World , or M World of Particulars , anifestation . This is the work of the Third Logos in M Nature , and of the ind Principle an ( M anas) in M . The Karmic Activity of the Creative M ind or Spirit b egets the in ﬁn it e variety of forms in the i n t r in Universe , evolving by containing sically the germs generative of future and more perfect forms resulting from or effected by preceding activities . In ff o ne. the Abstract, Act and E ect are

In the Con crete , they become separate . Karma is the lens that splits up Unity and the Everlasting N o w into Diversity w f and the F lowof Time . Vie ed rom A bstract and C oncrete. 1 9

f Above there is no Cause and Ef ect , no

Past , Present , and Future ; but One

Eternal . The whole Vast Spectacle of Nature is a Great Phantasm—M aya the Veilings of the Real ! Out of these f Waters into which Narcissus ell , we are destined to emerge for though Pain and Death and Sin weave terrible t he Shrouds , yet End is the only true Immortality and Bliss that is co n ce iv — able Unio n with the Great and Only N Immortal O E . C H APTE R I V

I N KA RM A TH E P HYS I CAL , M M O RAL, AN D ENTAL

WORLDS .

I . Let us take the Physical K arma I t e ﬁ rst . may be consider d under three headings

I . In the purely Physical Realm .

2 . In the Biological Realm . i 3 . I n the Kingdoms of M ater al

Nature .

1 ( ) In the purely Physical Realm , Karma is the Principle of the Conserva I t tion of Energy ( Suzuki) . is a scie n t iﬁc law that no energy is ever lost. It m ay change its mode of manifestation for a c c n can b inst n e , mechani al e ergy e c chan ged into heat , heat into ele tricity ,

oh . and so Energy, or Physical Karma or Activity , must produce energy in the same or in another form . These c en al and M ora . 21 Biologi al , M t , l matters are best studied from text d n books , and need not be entere i to any

‘ 2 further in this treatise . ( ) In the c Biologi al World , Karma is the work ing of Evolution and H eredity ( S uzuki) . These are subjects which dem and s volume in themselves, but enough must be s aid here to satisfy the demands of this treatise . With regard r t he at ak am ala to Evolution , we ead in J “ t a ff al tha Karm a ects l creatures , even a n t h down to the grass but N gase a , e great Buddhist philosopher , is more i defi n t e . We read in his M ilin dapafi ha ‘ these very S i gn ifi can t words It is by a process o f Evol ution that the Sams ” a - o e b e k ras ( soul structures) c m to . S everal times he repeats this s t atement and attributes the words to the Lord u ur her n B ddha . F t o he says that no Samskara has sprung into being without a r a dual becom i n s g g , and that the e products of Evolution are not com bin ed indiscriminately , that all that ” e s e s ”a l u m ! slo e happ n , happ n through p , b e cause of h abi t an d o n account of 22 D octri ne of K arm a.

. an association All this is j ust , what modern scientists call the path of least resistance ” (see “ Sacred Books of the ”

. 8 . East , vol 3 5 , pp . 3 fol . , and Dr Paul ’ “ C arus s Buddhism and its Christian But the ancient sages never postulated a blind evolution through ” a fortuitous concomitance of atoms, about the most insane doctrine that ever f came rom the mind of man . Evolution is directed by that Divine Intelligence which is manifest in the smallest blade of grass . Now with regard to the S am skaras , Buddha is the great H e authority here. says that all organisms , of any kind whatever, physical , psychic , or mental , are made “ ” “ ” o f up combinations , potentialities , “ ” sam skar as or , which have gradually developed out of the act ivities of Ka rma . W A n ut t ar a N ik a a e read in the g y , ( P an cak a Nipata) : M y Karma is my K possession , my arma is my inheritance ,

my Karma is the womb which bears me, my Karma is the race to which I am

“

15 . akin , my Karma my refuge The 23 Bi ological , M ental , and M oral . karmically - developed sam sk ar as are therefore at the background of all evolu sa m sk aras tion , which themselves have the One Reality fo r their background . With regard to Heredity : it is a complex subject, for it necessitates the dist in g u1shin g between what we have received from our ancestors and what is our own inheritance from past lives . M ost assuredly we inherit physical qualities , excellencies , and defects from our parents or rii o re remote ancestors . There are also moral and mental quali ties running in the same families . Why ? We are now in a sea of difﬁ cult ie s , for the question at once arises , — why should we inherit anythi n g non physical from our ancestors if we reap what we ourselves sow ? Is this not apparently a breaking of the Karmic Law that is so just ? I think it will help u s if we realise that there is such

a thing as Family Karma . The family s chic m i l is a p y a , or perhaps it were better to consider a family as a stream

comprised of certain qualities , and into 24 D octrine of K arma. that stream the incarnating Souls clip and become immersed , and to a certam extent are borne along with the current . As th e re is an intimate union bet ween the members o f a family; the thoughts and deeds of one affect the others to a

r ' r g eat e r o less extent . I t will be seen “ then how it is that the sins of t he

e fathers will be visited on the childr n . he o r T Ska‘ndhas ( elements of the ’ o Lower Self s c mposition , psychic an d phy sical confections), are trans m it t e d from parents to children , which Skandhas blend with those that have f been made by onesel in the past lives , and so a new personality is formed in which the Divine Ego continues his work of conquest and disentanglement from the trammels of the veils o f illusion . It is also to be remembered that pe ople are generally reincarnations ‘ of their own ancestors . Further, no inca rnating ego will emb ody a per son alit y which is n o t suitable fo r its if E o f h progress, and an g has no urt er need of tho se experi ences which one

26 D octrine of K arma. o n e g et s glimpses o f the true meaning _ “ ” of Original Sin , when studying this subject . Does it not lie in that pristine ” ignorance which mistakes the ﬂee t in g and unreal for the Eternal and Real ?

- And this outward going tendency , bring ing about the error of Separateness , the evil of thinking that each o n e is separate from another, instead of realising the

- Great Unity behind , is it not this out go m g Activity that brings about the Skandhas or Elements of Being ? And then , once begun , the Skandhas are handed down generation after genera an d tion , we are all born with them , and made up of them This is the Great O r1g 1n al Sin that the True Self has to burst through , and this is only done when we conquer all the realms of transiency

and become one with the Great Brahm . ( 3) Now fo r Karma in the King f f doms o Nature. Pro essor Huxley

says In the theory of evolution 3 the tendency o f a germ to develop accord

in s e cific e. . g to a certain p type, g , of the kidney bean seed to grow into 27 Bi ologi cal, M ental, and M oral. a , plant having all the characters of ‘ ’ Phaseolus vulgaris , is its Karma . It is the ‘last inheritor and the last result ’ of all the conditions that h ave affected a 11ne of ancestry which goes back for many millions of years to the time wh e n r s life fi t appeared on earth . Karma in the Vegetable Kingdom is the trans m l ss1o n of the subtle invisible S kandhas or “ confections ” or “ tendencies and potentialities ” from the plant into its I n seed . the Animal Kingdom , the S kandhas are also transmitted , but the S kandhas of animals include m ore than t “ hose of vegetables , for the conscious ness - group o f elements is much more t he M developed . Evolu tion in ineral Kingdom seems to be co n fi n ed to the imprisoned life - atoms which m an 1fest most perfectly in the formation 0 1 “ ” - crystals . The life atoms , when they have pushed the1r way through the ve et mineral kingdom , enter into the g l ‘ u . ab e world , to build p vegetable cells I can say no more at present with regard to evolution -karma in the miner D oet ri ne of K arma.

alogical regions , for it is so slow and different to evolution in t he higher e b e kingdoms . Evolution ther must , s for there i no stagnation in all Nature . With regard to Evolution in the Human

Kingdom , I must refer the reader to o a b oks dealing with Reincarn tion , and f o f M an via with the three old Evolution , ,

physically , emotionally , and mentally ,

yea, and spiritually ; which last generally of goes under the name Involution , o f Spirit into M atter fo r the purpo se of an d experience g rowth . 2 t he . With regard to Karma in M of oral World , it is the I mmortality

Deeds ( Suzuki) . A thought ( which is e a mental deed) is an energy, and if w apply to t he M oral World the law of the ” Conservation o f Energy that w e have

' se s o t he en hold go d in Physical World , w e shall com e to understand the i m m en se impor ta n ce of tkoug k t as a faC t o r fo r good or evil ; for thoughts are j ust as real in t he moral world as deeds ar e in the " e s mat erial realm . No thought r main a e s a s e l tr cel s , s y the Voic of the Si ence , e a a d M ora . 29 Bi ological , M nt l, n l

a s e ar n e ff and gain , that no orts , not — the sm alle st v whether in right or wrong — direction can vanish from the world of ’ c s auses . E en wasted smoke remain not ‘ r e a traceless . A ha sh word utt red in p st e lives is not destroy d , but ever comes ’ ve again . The pepper plant will not gi ’ n o r birth to roses , the sweet jessamine s ” silver st ar to thorn o r thistle turn . Infallibly every thought works out its

ff . e ect A thought , as Plato said , is an entity ; it is , indeed , a vibration in the

C hit t akasa M - ff has , or ind stu , and a

. us persistence Our thoughts cling to , an d we o s cannot get away fr m them , thu it c om es about that we reap what we so w. All our thoughts and deeds ascend

‘ into our inner nature as clouds , and ’ thence they are éow m to descend acco rdin g as we determined . I n the “

n u it a . w e e : A g , iv , r ad There is no dest ruction here o f action s good or not

od. go Coming to one body after another , these actions bear fruit in their respective ” M a ways . The ahabh rata says , The ” ee d d dieth not , that is , by itself the 30 D octrine of K ar ma.

result of the deed must be reaped , or t M destroyed , or mitiga ed ( aharajah of

Bobb ili) . Later on it will be shown how effects may be counteracted The O pening verses of the Dhammapada read thus All that we are is the result of what w e have thought ; it is founded on our thoughts , it is made up I f o f our thoughts . a man speak or act w f ith an evil thought , pain olloweth him as the wheel followeth the foot of the o x that draweth the car. I f a man 1 speak or act with a pure thought, happ ness followeth him like a shadow that never leaveth him ( Buddha) . It will be seen from this ho w care ful we must be of our thoughts , words , and deeds . This moral ' operation of Karma is taught b y all great Teachers Jesus “ — a e said , With what me sure y mete, it ‘ shall be m easure d u n t o you ( M atthew

' v11. S t . c , Paul more emphati ally “ - God fo r says , is not mocked , what soever a man soweth , that shall he ” v1 also reap ( Galatians . , and a H e gain , that soweth sparingly shall 3 Bi ological, M ental, and M oral. 1 reap sparingly ; and he that soweth bountifully , shall reap also bountifully

- - f 2 . . ( Cor ix , And in the Ta Chwang “ - - ~ - v . Yan King Lun , 5 7 , is read , As ” men sow , thus shall they reap . Again ﬁ n d it M a we in the ahabh rata , As ” m an f a himsel soweth , so he reapeth ,

' ﬁ n d and s o o n . One could numberless quotations from all Scriptures saying the same axiomatic truth . M 3 . Karma in the purely ental

World , in that world where desires , passions and emotions are not m l n gle d with mentation , acts very powerfully . Indeed Thought and Will in those lofty regions are creative ; and as a t o w ill i s t o ect matter of fact , qf , and of results follow immediately . One the Ten Spiritual Stages ( D asab hu m i) “ ” Bo dhisat t vaho o d a of is called Acal ,

and in that Stage , the Disciple attains H ‘ the ighest Perfect Knowledge , or A n ut at t ikadha m a s a i p r k h n t . This is the state of a divine mind , in which knowledge is Will and A ction ; after practising all the virtues and constantly 3 2 D octrine of K ar ma.

n s striving for the goal , one e ters thi

' stage to ﬁ n d that all his previous e ﬁ o rt s suddenly and mysteriously vanish from his consciousness , all desires disappear , desires even for Nirvana or fo r f o d . P er ecti n , much less after worl liness This is a state of saintly innocence and spontaneous activity . The man a aspires and it is actualized , N ture e having no power to restrain him . H f ! ollows no laws prescribed , but is per ‘ ’ fect l t y and ruly a real genius , one ” e n o ae n eding laws , no rules , or formul e ( Suzuki) . Here we ar in the Formless

World ( Arupa Loka) , and on the quivering borders o f l t he Great Nirvana w here Karma is no more . What are the a o f a L ws Nirv na we cannot tell , or whether there be any such thing as we understand by the word Law ; unless Perfect Love can generate Law . Rather is it not spontaneous and u n ” ? o contained Love , says Jac b Boehme , enlarges t he Soul as wide as the ” who le creation of God . What need the n fo r Law s such as we understand ?

3 4 D octrine of K arma. the M ahabharata which is worth con a sider tion , although , be it remembered , it is not an authoritative doctrine , but certain words sp oken by Bhishm a to Y udhi st hi ra ff t of , to the e ect hat the fruit an act will appear at the corresponding period of life in the next birth . There b e may , and probably is , a large amount of truth in this statement ; and it t is q uite possible that very strong or serious deeds do have their effect in the way stated . Is it possible to account for e startling and . unexp cted events in our lives in this way ? And is it possible to co unteract these effects ? Some of u s go under a cloud for years , then all at once the cloud lifts a n d things seem to take a an d new turn a new aspect . It is all on account of some past Karma that was w too po erful to annul , until completely worked o ff. e Another point h re arises . It would seem that the passive side of o ur lives is pretty well mapped out beforehand ( by e e our own d eds of cours ) , and that Fatality and Destiny and Predestination A cti ve and P assi ve K arma. 3 5 are partly or wholly true ; b u t on con

' no t so sideration , we see that it is , but t o us e that whatever happens , so happ ns because we have brought it on ourselves . I f our Karma was too powerful to be fo r averted , we call it Destiny . As Fate ,

wi ou r own . it is , was , and ll be in hands A c ertain passage in t he Vaishnava

~ o r S e Dharmasastra , Vishnu utra her I “ . t comes to mind runs thus , A man will not die before his time has come , even though he has been pierced by a thousand shafts ; he will not live after

his time is out , even though he has only e been touch d by a blade of Kusa grass .

x . u ( x. ) This needs explanation Altho gh

it is true that our life , being the product o f e ﬁ xed past caus s , must certainly be

as a logical result of past causes , or “ f mapped out in its main eatures, yet it must also be borne in mind that we have the power every day to m odify or eb ang e this so - called Fate

. e r that is ours In practice , th refo e , it m ust be very rare indeed , if ever, that anyone lives the exact le ngth of time 3 6 D octri ne of K ar ma.

- f that he has pre fashioned for himsel . The same book says —“ When the ff ’ e ects of one s acts in a former existence , by which his present existence is caused , sn at chet h have expired , death away a ”

. t h1s man forcibly I n connection with , it is well to remember that a man can a lt er his f a t e ; and if length of days be de ﬁ n it e a result of past Karma , most assuredly f r esh K a r m a ca n be generated f in this life , the ef ect of which is to K counteract the results of past arma .

You may set a stone rolling down a hill , and by the law of Karma i t must reach the bottom ; bu t it may be stopped by running ahead and staying it or turning I it aside . The mmortal True Self within K is Lord of arma , and by treading the Path of Union with that Hidden One

t. we can master Fate, or at leas modify

u s. us it otherwise it will master Let , ‘ e o therefore , rememb r these words fr m the Shu - King Book of It ’ is not Heaven that cutteth short men s lives ; t hey ' b r in g them to an e n d M em

s lw s . . e . ( IV , ix , C HAPTE R VI .

KAR M A CO N S I DE RED

FU N CT ION ALLY .

The Functional aspect of Karma is the consideration of it in its different ways of being effective . For informa tion on this and on the next three chapters , the sources are the Chula

Vib han a - U ari an n asa kamma g Sutta ( p p ) , M r M chic ﬂ . ! an and y aung Shwe Aung , “ A n B . O . , in his article the Forces of C ” ” haracter , in the magazine Buddhism , being his learned comments on the

- above mentioned book in the Tripitaka . There are four kinds of Functional Karma :

Reproductive, or Janaka Karma , U at ham b hak a Supportive , or p

Karma , U a ila k a Counteractive , or p p 3 8 D octrine of K arma.

“ Karma ; lit . oppressive or

obstructive Karma , and D . U a hat ak a 4 estructive , or p g , or accheda U p Karma .

1 . Reproductive Karma is that which produces congenital character , and which may or may not bear fruit in life according as the Reproductive Karma is maintained o r opposed by ” I t other classes of Karma . is always of the Passive K arma ' of the past “ no t existence , and does extend in its o f r action beyond the moment ebirth , it is capable o f producing only latent c or innate cons iousness , and congenital f character ( Aung) . The total ef ect that the environments and conditions u s of the past life have upon , produces as result the necessity of a contin uation of that same stream from which we

temporarily emerged for internatal rest , K ar m a b e lon s so that Reproductive g , all c for pra tical purposes , to the past

life .

2 r K . Suppo tive arma helps or red F unc K arma conside ti onally . 3 9 maintains the action of Reproductive t he Karma, and thus causes latter to “ be effective . Reproductive Karma is t he mother that causes , Supportive o I Karma is the nurse that n urishes . f one is born wealthy , it is due to

Reproductive Karma , if one continues wealthy, it is due to Supportive Karma . m If this Kar a is good as well , it produces furthe r good Supportive Karma fo r the next life i f it has also good Reproductive Karma by which it ” comes into operation ( Aung) . It give s u s a certai n ability to improve our circumstances by the Character or 5 274: that we have inherited and by our

D E /za wa Natural isposition or , the which also is an inheritance from past lives . e 3 . Count ractive K arma is that which weakens , interrupts , obstructs , or retards the fruition of R eproductive n e e Karma by cou t racting here and th re , “ now and again , the action of Sup ort ive p Karma . Here especially , the q ua lity of the Counteractive Karma comes into play, for if good ( kusala) , 40 D octrine of K arma. it may so counteract a deﬁ n it e bad ( ak usala) Supportive Karma as to prevent an existent bad Reprod uctive '

. Vzr t ue Karma from bearing fruit Thus, ' a n d C ka r zt f u y , which are the chie ca ses of Good Counteractive and Good

Supportive Karmas , may not only result in main t aining a happy state of life but may also result in the attenua — tion , through this occasional action —o f of Counteractive Karma, bad ” characteristics an d of bad environments A n ( Aung) . understanding and recog n it io n of the fact that we can , to some f degree, modify the ef ects of past evil ,

is of the greatest assistance , and the most powerful destroyer and purger of D B evil is the ivine Fire of Love . y ’ K an d Virtue , nowledge , Love, one s ’ cka n ea a s ect past Karma has a g p .

Those who live in sin , in ignorance , and

loveless to God , man , or nature , are living in a state in which their past

Karma thr ea t en s them . They live under

the lash of the Furies . But when they are converted , that is , turned towards

42 D octri ne of K arma.

. M r Karma . Suzuki says : Every thing done is done once and for all , and its footprints are generative , good or evil No deed can be done without leaving some impressions either in the individual or supra- individual col lect ive 0 ) consciousness . N act remains

c ot en t i a l a ct i vel tra eless , but lives p ly or y in the world of mind and deeds . h Karma must , at owever distant a date , act ; it leaves its mark never to be erased save by sheer exhaustion of the

Karma, or by interruption of an over ” whelming counter - karma ( O utlines a a of M ah y na Buddhism) . The forces that can destroy or modify past ill K deeds are , as before said , Love, now e ledge , and Virtue, or the Knowledg of ” T he M b God . aharajah of Bob ili , com m e n t in t g on the dea hlessness of deeds , says th at the result of a deed does not die by itself, and must be reaped , or iﬁ c m it 1 at ed sacr e . destroyed , or g by or repentance ; or it must be entir ely destroyed by the Knowledge of God . W M . s r . Q . Judge bea utifully remark ‘ K ar ma considered F unctionally . 43 that “ there are valleys in which the ' greatest shadows are due to old lives in i n t en si t o other bodies , and yet y f ’ u m vem a l low and o f aspi r a t ion will dissipate those in an instant of time . The Love of M ankind as constituting a D ivine Brotherhood , and a deep Repent ance arising out of pure sorrow fo r t he e H u m a n i t o u r wrongs don to y by sins , also has the effect of destroying some o f our bad Karma for Love and Com D ‘ passion belong to the ivine Self, and f e coming rom That Source , th y are Divine Streams potent to quench the ﬁ re s v of e il .

us o To conclude this section , let g M r to . Aung once more . Now while Reproductive Karma is a lw ay s of the ’ Passive Side of one s past life ; . S up or t ive D p , Counteractive , and estructive Karmas m ay a lso belong to the Active

Side of the Present Life . That is , if we observe Passive Karma of the present l the ife , we must take into account 44 D octri ne of K arma.

e Reproductive , Supportive , Counteractiv , and Destructive forces of a past Karma . I f we observe Active Karma of the c o n ﬁ n e present , we must our considera tion to the forces of the present Karma . View m g an existence as a whole , we have a more complicated action of the forces . “ ( I ) The Passive State due to past

Karma may be strengthened , counter acted , or terminated by another Passive

State due to past Karma . ( 2 ) The Passive State due to past

Karma may be strengthened , counter acted , or terminated by an Active State due to present Karma . ( 3 ) A n Active State due to present K e arma may be strength ned , counter ‘ o r acted , terminated by a Passive State K due to the past arma , or ( 4) By an Active State due to the

present Karma . There is not a deed or thought in our lives that cannot be made more operative by a Knowledge of the Law than if we were without that knowledge . Habits 45 K arma considered F unctionally .

- are to be destroyed by counter habits , hatred by love , greed by generosity, and

o so n . To increase our Supportive Karma it behoves u s to nourish and i us bring to matur ty all the good in , especially to call forth latent good this “ maturing of good stock is called “ K usalam ﬁ la ; and the adding to our ” stock of good , more good , by accumula

P un ask an dha . tion , is called y I f a man doeth what is good , let him do it again let him delight in it for happiness is the outcome of good ( Buddha , in the ” I Dhammapada , ix . , But let it be remembered that the best and royal way to better ourselves is to labo ur for the welfare and good of others ; this takes away the selﬁ sh motive of doing good simply that we may reap our own good fruits . Those who are on the Path to the Highest M aster will never consider for one moment whether any deed is going to bring a good reward to onesel f

or n o t . CHAPTE R VI I . KARMA I N TH E POWE R A N D READ I N ESS W I TH WH IC H I T TAKES EFFECT .

Here again there are Four Kinds

1 . Garuk a Weighty , Serious , or

Karma ,

2 - A san n a . Death Proximate , , or M ar an asan n a Karma ,

“ A c in n a 3 . Habitual , or Karma, and t K at at t a 4 . Cumula ive or Karma , “

. o f lit , Karma in stat e having ” been made .

The ﬁ rst three are of the Active f Side of the present life , and the ourth is the heritage of all our former ” existences . ( Aung) . is I . _ Weighty Karma of two kinds

“ A al l k us a . Good , or Bad ; Kusa a or Good Weighty Karm a is o perative in R elative E ﬂ ecti veness .

“ the Three Worlds , namely , of Form , S t h ense, and e Formless ( Rupa Kama ,

- and Arupa Lokas) . The most Weighty or effective Good Karma consists of what is called t he Rupa -Vachara - Jhan a

C hit t an l z. e. ﬁve M , , the Ecstatic ental States producing results in the Rup a

Lokas , or Lower Heavens ; and the

- Vachara - han a - C hit t an i f Arupa J , or our Superconscious Contemplative States producing results in the Arupa - Lokas the Highest Formless Heavens ’ beyond which is Nirvana . All these are collectively termed Lofty Karma , or aha t a M gga Karma ( Aung) . The ﬁve Rupa States are the same as the Four D h an as y , one of which is split in two , they are as follows : The First D hyana or J han a brings about the Slaying of that Ignorance of mistaking the Unreal l M t he for the Rea , the ortal Self for u i Tr e but H dden Im mortal Self. When s thi Ignorance is slain , we reach a “ — state of j oy an d gladn ess born o f seclusion full of investig ation and re ” ﬂe xio n . The Second Dhyan a brings 48 D octrine of K arma.

about the Slaying of all Passion , and is born of that deep tranquillity without ” r io e ﬂex n or investigation . The Third D hyana brings about the D estruction of

Sin , which makes a man an Arhat or

Holy One , and then he has passed into

a . a the Fourth Dhy na Nirv na is his ,

even in this life . In the four D hy an as o ff the Ten Fetters fall one by one , D D namely , elusion of Personality , oubt ,

Dependence on rites and ceremonies , D Sensuality , Hate , esire for material

existence , Desire for Heaven , Pride ,

- I n o r Self righteousness , and Original g D h an as ance . The Four Arupa y , are those four states immediately ushering a one into Nirv na, and are thus described — in Buddhist metaphysics ( I ) The I sense of ndividuality is lost , ideas and

forms become extinct, and the conscious 2 ness of the I n ﬁ n ity of Space arises . ( )

The sense of Space vanishes, and there comes the idea of I n ﬁ n it e Thought or “ - o f Reason . ( 3 ) This is the State

- - - - Nothing to take hold o i . Thought or

Reason vanishes , and is superseded by

5 0 D octri ne of K arma.

of an Arhat , the Wounding of a

Buddha or a Christ , and the Creating of a Schism by one who has received

Divine Illumination . Any of these may result in some signal and terrible punishment, even in the present life ,

os l - m or l em most certainly in the p state . Bad Weighty Karma also results from what is called Permanent Scepticism , which term denotes a persistent mental denial of a M oral Law and of all high and lofty motives governing man kind . This technical meaning of it does not imply mere unb e lief through lack of knowledge, but a denial of the Goodness and Righteousness of the

: b r ie ﬂ D D Law y , a enial of harma , and “ ' ” the hardening of the heart . Weighty Karma is therefore so called be cause it acts more quickly and power fully than any other kind . It is said that the most serious evil Karma is the creating of false and evil teaching by anyone who k n ow s what the D ivine I Truths are , by a Truly nitiated person . R elati ve E ffectiveness . 5 1

Weighty Karma therefore may be ff goo d or bad in cause and e ect , and i may be e ther Reproductive , Supportive ,

Counteractive , or Destructive in its ” A n mode o f Action ( Aung) . intense act of good or evil may bring its result even on the very day of its committal .

- 2 . Death Proximate Karma . The thoughts when death is near ( death proximate thoughts) are o f high importance in determini n g the character of . our next life , and is next in import ance to Weighty Karma , and may operate in all four modes of the

Functional Group . This is why at the death of a person , a pious Buddhist will recall to z the dying one all his good

&c . deeds , ( Aung) . This is decidedly more healthy than the darkeni n g of one’s last moments by wailings for sins f that are past , and vivi ying the bad instead of reviving the good in order to give the Soul a push ” onwards to “ something better . A t the moment of death , says Aung, Karma , as it ’ were , takes a leap , a move per saltum 5 D 2 octri ne of K arma.

the K arm ab hava or Active Karma o i the en din gr life being changed or trans formed into the U papat t ibhava or

Passive Karma of the next life . The direction given to it largely determines the course of a future life ( in the absence of Weighty Karma) . This is an important piece of information o i to remember and make use . To be sure there is every grade of efﬁ cien cy from that of a M aster Soul who can absolutely determine his next life , down to one whose D eath - Proximate Will has ff only very partial or no e ect at all ,

- owing to pre created hindrances . o f 3 . Habitual Karma is the result the constant repetition of any thought at akam ala or deed . The J says , Action repeated in one life becomes changed ” into inherited nature . Thus it is important to repeat often our good thoughts and deeds , and so give no time for evil habits to form . Indeed it is not well to dwell upon our past evil o t oo much , unless ev king good lessons

it . from To repent is to turn from evil , R elative E ffecti veness . 5 3

o f having recognised with depth soul , its folly and harm to others as well as to self, and having realised how it hides the Sun o f our Souls from our view . I t is not needed to be ever weeping over “ ” ou r n miserable sinful ess , though for e o l some p p e a shower is healthy . We must b H remem er that the igher Self is divine , and there is nothing at all ' miserable

o o f about That , for it is the S urce all

Good and Bliss . Having repented and having been sorry for the ills done , ‘ a zl t dismiss the past and f ce ze n lz . it The Past ! What is ? Nothing . i h Gone ! Dismiss t . You are t e past of yourself. Therefore it concerns you not as such . S o follow the ‘ Hindu maxim Regret nothing never be sorry ; and cut all doubts with the ’ sword of spiritual knowledge . Regret is only productive of error . I care not

w as w as I what I , or what anyone . I a m only look for what each moment .

Regret is a thought , hence an energy . I f u we t rn its tide upon the past , it plays upon the seeds of that past and viviﬁ e s 5 4 D octrine of K arma. them ; it causes them to sprout and grow in the ground of the mind : from thence to expression in action is but a ”

. W . step ( . Q . Judge) In her Voices of a Still Night M ary K o n o pn it sky “ - says , Do not curse , my Soul , thy failures and thy errors ; they are steps of the ladder which thou must climb if thou wouldst lift thyself from the d u st ” of earth to the sunny skies . In the case o f one who has de ﬁ n it ely set his “ of feet on the higher Path , the Voice S the Silence ays , Long and weary D O . is the way before thee , isciple One single thought about the past that thou hast left behind , will drag thee down ! and thou wilt have to start the climb anew . Kill in thyself all memory of past experiences . Look not behind or ” thou art lost . Habitual Karma tends to produce a repetition of similar events or effects in ’ f kar m a ' is one s li e , until that habitual b e altered . Our evil habits have to counteracted by the cultivation of their

-h a . counter bits For instance, if thoughts R elati ve E ffectiven ess. 5 5

of hate are often in our minds , they must be banished , and thoughts of love must take their place . I t is not fo r all easy to do this , but one can try ’ to switch o ff one s thoughts to someone or something that we do love , even if we cannot conjure up love for a person dis liked . In time it gets easier , but the disciple must harbour no hate at all ; if he does , it is clear that he does not see the Truth , for Love is taught by every M aster . Hatred ceaseth not by hatred at any time ; hatred ceaseth by love ” u this is an ancient rule . ( B ddha , in “ D hammapada ” i 4 . Cumulative Karma . Th s is the store or reserve of potential good and evil inherited from every past existence ; —a stock of latent Karma, a bundle of u potentialities , of rewards and p nish

- o or ments , all awaiting the suitable pp t un it n o w y to bear fruit or in the future .

Here it is ﬁt to consider the question o f Freewill . The secret of reforming 5 6 D octri ne of K arma.

Character ( Karma) is in the Counter active an o D e s tructive forces in the Active Side of the present life The Karma may b e m o diﬁ e d by addition to , or by suppression of the Accu m ulat e d Karma ( Character) inherited from the whole of the Past . Each increment or decrement ( to our Karma) is made in the form of the

- Weighty , Death proximate , or Habitual Character ( Karma) formed on the

s u Active Side of an exi tence , nder

- what is commonly called Free Will .

Will , however, is not free . Under a o o f given set f conditions , the action a person—his choice of one or m ore lines of action is absolutely determined by the nature of his Character at the time , so that one acts only in the way his character determines for him he may, by dint of mental and moral training a lt er the n a t u r e of l iza t M a rm ara i tself This is the victory of Culture th e o f u r t ure over Character , triumph N ” over Nature . ( Aung) . This Doctrine is the M iddle Course between N e ce ssi

5 8 D octri ne of K arma.

r e r Perfect Goal , the Will becomes f e a n d f r eer ; it is no sudden achievement a to reach that stage of Acal , which was f e o . d scribed towards the end Chapter IV , “ when t he Disciple aspires and it is H e actualized . wills and it is done . H e has become Nature herself, and has ” n o restraint ( Suzuki) . Then we can truly say the Will is F ree A P R C H TE V I I I .

KARM A CO N S I D E RE D ACCO RD I NG TO T I M E I N WH I C H

EFFECTS ARE WO RKED O UT .

Again we have four kinds

I I - ff D . mmediately E ective , or itt

“ hadham m avedan iy a K arma

2 - ff U a a a . Remotely E ective , or p p j j vedan i a y Karma ,

I n d ﬁ n i l - ff . e t e 3 y E ective , or Apara ar i avedan i a p y y Karma ,

- h i . ff A o s 4 Non E ective , or Karma . These are all dependent upon the y Cognitive Faculty or Ja ana, which determines whether Karma will act soon or later . According as a thought is received by the Cognitive Faculty, so is the depth o f the impression it makes in

- ar the Retentive Faculty or Tad am m an a. And it is according to this depth of impression that Karma acts at an earlier D 60 octri n e of K arma.

- ff or later date , being immediately e ective v or otherwise as abo e outlined , or else it is too weak to leave any impression , and

- f so becomes Non ef ective . The Soul life is an ever- ﬂ o win g Stream or B hava n a g , receiving tributaries every day an d casting out its products every

s - day . In t udy mg the eighty nine States of Consciousness , one learns how life opens with a mixture of sixteen Bha van as g which result from the past , and these generate the F ac ult y of R e prese n ” y u tati e Cognition which weighs p, so to speak , the rationale of the new life .

The seven Cognitives result from these , and produce a great desire ( o r Trishna) to live the earth - life again ; then come e xis the Waters of Lethe, when past t e n ce s are forgotten , or rather, the memory of past lives is t r a n sm u l ed into the character, abilities , talents , and r potentialities with which life is sta ted . The Cognitives are always passing on what they receive into the Retentive

Faculty , which registers all impressions . I f r s ver ﬂe et in so a imp e sions are y g , th t 6 K arma accordi ng t o Time. 1

- aram m an a they do not reach the Tad , then t he Karma of those impressions is

- ff non e ective, j ust as a stone may be made to skim a stream without sinking i t . into , but reaches the other shore The study of this branch of M etaphysics will throw a ﬂood of light on this group

u s of Karmas , for it will show , to a great extent , how it is that some Karma is f ff . suspended for uture e ect But , I think , another reason for the suspension o f some Karma lies in the fact that it awaits the suited occasion s and sur f roundings to call forth its ef ect , so that “ a deep impression may come out sooner than a faint one , if a strong e force , or suit d occasion calls it forth . I 1 . mmediately Effective Karma . life u n le ss This bears fruit in this , opposed D by a powerful estructive Karma , when ff it never becomes e ective , j ust as a ball set rolling down a hill may be voluntarily stopped . Being devoid of Reproductive t Force it is inoperative . One of en notices how some of our deeds seem to fructify’

more quickly than others . 62 D octrine of K arma.

- 2 . ff Remotely E ective Karma . This will produce results in the next life by virtue of the Reproductive Karma , but may fail fo r ever on account of opposing in Karma , j ust as the preceding case . n For i stance , an adj ustment of some wrong done to a person who has passed away cannot act until that person is met again . I f fi . 3 . nde nitely Ef ective Karma This will fructify as soon as the condi tions needed fo r its fr uct iﬁ c at io n are suitable, and may be in any incarnation M after the next . ost of our Cumulative

i in it el - f Karma s thus de ﬁ n y ef ective .

- f . 4 . Non Ef ective Karma This may be of two kinds 1 ) Karma which has D been destroyed by estructive Karma , and that which is too feeble to take ff e ect, owing to the deed or thought not impressing the Retentive Faculty ; for

- instance , the wish of a feeble minded person or an imbecile may never take ff e ect , or even of one who is not feeble minded if his or her desire is apathetic and not really meant . A P R C H TE IX .

GO O D AN D BAD KARM A A N D T H E P L A C E S I N W H I C H

E FFECT I VE .

Good and Bad Karmas operate in one or all the Three Worlds of Exist

ence .

A k usal - li I . a t Bad Karma ( karma , , unskilful - karma) is reaped only in

Kamaloka . Kamaloka is the World of

Sense , and consists of life on Earth and life in Hades the word is generally limited in Theosophical Literature to “ ” Hades , or the State between Earth

and Devachan , but metaphysically speaking it refers to all Worlds or States resulting from the Desires a ( K ma) , and in which Desire is ex I pressed . t refers also to the Hells N ara k as P at alas ( ) , or purging regions ( ) , which are the lowest sub - planes of the 64 D octrin e of K arma.

I n Astral World . the vast majority of b ad o ff cases , Karma is worked in both these portions of Kamaloka . In the succeeding ear t hz-lives we adjust the wrongs done to our fellow - men and ’ learn the lessons in which w e have

N a rak as an d “ P at alas failed , while in the we wear out passional tendencies .

- . a 2 Good Karm ( Kusala karma, lit . , ” skilful - karma ) is worked o u t in all — the Three Worlds the S e n se \ ( K am a

o f - loka) , the Heavens Form ( Rupa loka),

a- and the Formless Heavens ( Arup loka) .

In this case , as far as Kamaloka is con cerned , it will be in the higher levels or sub - planes of it where any good can be o reaped , and these regions corresp nd to the Paradise in Christian terminology, the Elysian Fields in Greek philosophy , and to Amenti in the Egyptian religion . It is a state of pleasure devoid o f spirituality , and may detain a Soul longer from its entry into D evachan or Heaven than even the N ar ak as or P at alas sat isfac , on account of a certain tion it gives t o the personality . It is a

66 D octrine of K arma. within u s and into our nature the el ements pertaining t o those states that r we become assimilated to them . O u n cover i n rather, it is the g of all those I Veilings of gnorance and Sin , that hide “ a the Inner Glory . I myself m Heaven and Hell sings Omar Khayyam . C H A PTE R X .

T H E J UST I C E A N D CO M PASS ION

- T H M LA W O F E K AR I C .

T he fo r 1y t o Law is j ust , it g es each one precisely what is due of good or evil . No one will suffer more than he or she

0 merits . N one will enjoy rewards that W have not been won , and no one ill be T he exalted at the expense of another. ' ’ b ecause it Law is Just , is God s Law or f M ethod . We are apt to con use our harsh notions of justice with the J ustice s 1ce 1s i that is of God . Our J u t nvariably mingled with other qualities , consciously or unconsciously , hence His ways are not our ways , nor are His thoughts our ”

. thought s Not yet . When our ways and t houghts are as His , we shall have re ached the Goal and become o n e with Him “ perfect even as your heavenly ” — Father is pe rfe ct who is t he Great 8 6 D octri ne of K arma.

- All Self in each heart . We think some ff times that we su er unjustly , and that ’ but fo r this or that person s action we could have avoided such and such I su ﬁ e rin g . ndeed ! Are we cognisant of all the hidden workings of the Law ? Do we think that a Good God punishes for what was not committed ? Be sure that the arm that smites us is our own arm risen against ourself, it is the result of something or other that we have done in the past the darkness that en shrouds n u s is a fog of our own conjuri g .

Because this Law is divinely j ust , it o s is fo r that re ason divinely c mpas ionate .

' It is Love fo r w e ne ed never fear about not getting our deserts moreover, even the very affl ict io n s and pains of life are rendered by mean s of this Law so many lessons meant for our good , so many chast e n in s merciful g , so many means of true growth , for it is by resisting and overcoming evil that we become pur ified as by fi re and the more we perceive b the truth a out Karma , the better able we shall be to bear sorrow an d pai n 69 J natl ee and C ompassion .

There is no doubt about that . When o f ff we have learnt the lesson su ering , ff b e su ering will cease, or changed into that sweet voluntary suffering taken upon ourselves for the sake of others ; M an for it is true that the of Sorrows ,

Jesus , was also the Lord of Joy , and the

Sorrowing Buddha was the Happy One . Now while this Law is just and compassionate as we view it from our lowly standpoint , it is quite true that it is neither . From the higher levels , Karma is impartial and void of the idea

s M T r u e. of Ju tice or ercy , it is For it

is not the Law really that punishes us/ or ’ rewards , but we ourselves . I f you don t ﬁ n e r ﬁ re put your g in the , it will never it burn you , and so you never break the Law it cannot hurt you ; and if you it . f serve , it helps I t is the Arm o the ” it Lord , and we may be lifted up by , or fall and hurt ourselves by leaving hold i of t . H A P T R C E X I .

H U P L ET Y A N D M AN , AN A R , M COS I C KARMA .

There is a “ divine end towards which Humanity a s a w hole sweeps onward . I t is the Great Resurrection from the D ead . A t the end of the M anvantara the fruits of the acc um u lated Karma of an evolved H umanity are transmitted to a ﬁe ld of operation which transcends materiality, and the evolved Super- M e n enter into the next period of evolution ( after a Rest or P r alay a) as the guiding factors to a

o f. u t large extent , the new H mani y an l m al arising out of the Kingdom . But that is n o t the end ; on and on c the limbing Humanity goes , from glory w to glory , and po er to power, to what no man can contemplate or even imagine . Human , Planetary , and C osmic K arma 7 1

A Planet too has a Karma . All the forces and potentialit ies amassed in its evolution are transmitted to the it planet that has to succeed . We have abso rbed all the potentialities of l M our preceding p anet (now the oon) , and we too shall give way t o another. /

A Solar System , in like manner ,

“ takes over all the Karmic forces from n the precedi g system , after a long period o f cessation from manifestation . ” Thus the work of Creation or

Evolution goes on for ever . I t is out of place to go any further into t he Evolution of Nature in a work like this , and so theosophical literature must be consulted which deals with these stupendous subjects . R CHAPTE X I I .

T H E TH REE AN D TH E FO U R D F K I N S O KARM A .

His Highness the M aharajah of

b r t t he Bob ili , in an a icle in Journal of t the Royal Asia ic Society , a year or a o e two g , mentions thr e kinds of Karma , as follows

I a V ar t am an a . . Ag mi or Karma This comprises all th at we do in this life and reap in this or a future life . hi 2 S an c t a . . Karma This com prises all the Ka r ma that could not be

o n e f reaped in existence , and is le t back without being reaped in previous lives . P r arab ha d . 3 . Karma This com prises all that Karma whose results we reap but could not avoid by our own f exertions in this li e .

I leave these as th ey stand in

CHAPTE R X I I I .

I N D IVI D UAL AN D COLLECT IVE

K ARM A . Individual Karma is that which each one reaps and sows for himself. It is what we have been dealing wi t h so far

' diﬂ e r e n in so many t forms . Now we / come to c onsider Karma in its more

- complex , inter workings ; and here it may s eem that in de aling with Collective

- ( Social , or Supra Individual) Karma, we are treating of what may seem to b e modifications or even violations o f the rigidity or justice of the Karmic Law . so But it is not , as we shall see. Collective Karma may be divided M f into Six ain Groups , as ollows

1 . C onjugal Karma . 2 il . am F y Karma. M 3 . utual Karma . ka a I ndi vidual and C ollecti ve rm .

4 National Karma. a 5 . Racial Karm , and

6 . . Universal Karma

I t is stated in many a sacred script that our t houghts and deeds affect

‘ others to a greater O r less extent . O n this fact is based the fact of Collee O n e tive Karmic activity . We are all

Spiritual Unity or Brotherhood , deny it as we may , and we all swim in one f e Ocean of Life . There ore , every vil r a an thought pollutes , to howeve sm ll extent , this ocean , and every good i thought helps to purify t . In other eict e n t words , we are to an appreciable ’ our brothers keepers . There is no

' r sepa ateness in Reality . It is the delusion of S eparateness from our

f - a ellow beings that is the Gre t Heresy, We and the root of all evil . ought to realise that every good thought that we sen d forth for t he help of others m ust have its effect ; so every evil thought f T he - is a be ouler . thought currents m ove according t o the force be hind 'i 7 6 D octri ne ot K arma.

them . Pure thoughts make a pure aura around the person who has them , and a is peaceful and restful . S ys E liphas

Levi , We are often astonished when in society at being assailed by evil thoughts and suggestions that we would not have imagined possible , and we are not aware that we owe them solely to the presence of some morbid neighbour diseased souls have a bad breath , and vitiate the moral atmos here ‘ p ; that is to say , they mingle impure r eﬂect ion s with the astral light which penetrates them , and thus estab ” lish deleterious currents . Seeing how f we af ect each other, we learn to guard our thoughts and acts , and to live for the sake of the public weal as well as for our own We read in the Fo - Pen

- - T sih v . Hing King, 43 , our duty is to do something , not only for our own b e n e fit , but for the good of those who shall come after u s and in the Light on the Path , Remember that the sin and shame of the world are your sin and i R em em ber ! shame ; for you are part of t . I ndividual and C ollecti ve K arma. 77 alas ! how often we forget ! forget the wo es o f others that are ours to share or help to bear ; forget that we must not condemn the evil in others so long as “ any evil lies in ourselves . Let him fi r st that is without sin , cast the stone M u ( Jesus ) r . Suzuki in his O tlines of M ahayana Buddhism ” states the case “ H e very ably . says ; All social sufferi n gs are not necessarily produced i n by past Kar a , but may be engendered by imperfections in the present social system . The region of Karma is not in the social and economical world , but in n e ces the moral world . Poverty is not sar il y the consequence of evil deeds , nor plenitude of good deeds . The reward — of good is spiritual bliss , contentment , tranquillity of mind , meekness of heart , a — immov bility of faith , all heavenly D treasures eeds , good or evil , leave perman ent e ffe ct s lf o n the g en er a l sy st em of sentient beings and not on the b u t b t actor himself, every ody , cons ituting a grand psychic comm unity called Dhar madhat u S i s a s ff s ( pir tual univer e) , th t u er 78 D octri ne of K arma. or enjoys the outcome o f a moral deed The universe is a great spiritual com — munity, most complicated , most subtle, s most sen itive, and the best organised mass of spiritual atoms , and transmits its currents o f moral electricity from one particle to another with utmost rapidity and surety . Because the com munity is at bottom an expression of O N E D harmakaya A ffecting one another , a pious individual will turn ” “ ” over or make a par ivart a of his merits to the b en e fit in g of all beings and this will arise out of his love for all , and his desire to help in the salvation of the race . Every good we do is absorbed in the universal stock of merits which is no less D a than the harmak ya ( God) . Every act o f loving- kindness is conceived in the Womb -o f- the - Tathagata ( Womb of the i e Un versal Lord) , and therein nourish d ut and matured , is again brought o to ” this world of Karma to bear its fruit ' ( zb) The doctrine here is very clearly and be autifully put but it is to be not ed that what he says about the reg ion of I ndividual and C ollective K ar ma. 7 9

Karma not being i n the Social World

n mea s , as applied to moral good and

evil fruits , for in another part he says ' '

t hat K ar m a z. e. . is also Social , Collective To do good for the welfare of

Humanity is our holiest work , and to

turn over our merits , as far as possible,

to the saving of others , is to help the r Saviou s in Their Work , who out of love and compassion for Humanity have renounced their ﬁ n al entry into Ni rvana so long as there are any outside

a its port ls . To work for H umanity ” r st s t e o f is the ﬁ p, says the Voice t he Silence, and there is no service of God that does not resolve itself into the service of M ankind . The sweets o f the w e higher realms are for everyone, and must bring down celestial incense to l morta s .

F o r all t he world is full of blast s T a h w s w o be r t e s eet a ay . Those who do not see the divine a ll m object of Life . who separate the

e s u s are s lves from others , who e tho ght 80 D octri ne of K arma. fo r fo r sch the joys that can be plucked , e a r e M a th se the children of ra , the Evil

e r One , who hinder the progr ss o humanity like the grit that cl ogs the wheels of a machine an d hampers its work . Yet we must not turn away from them , for they are just the ones that “ need light and help . I consider the welfare of all people as something for which I must work ” said the pious and t h noble Emperor Asoka in his 6 Edict . Having considered in a general way the mutual interaction of all human beings , and how the only way to serve — God is to serve M an the Son of God we will now consider the six Groups . an 1 . Conjugal Karma . The husb d ’ and wife share each other s Karma, but especially is this so when a perfe ct fo r union of man and wife exists , their a m a e respective Karm s y blend , esp cially has e if the union exist d in past lives , f f whether as man and wi e or riends , and ’ so th ey share each other s joys and l ’ sorrows , feeling a ike each other s

s I n intere st . a highly spiritual union

82 D octrlne of K arma.

will tend to mitigate these evils , and e render life more b arable , and show that the day of meeting is best d e termined by

Karma , which acts by the love of God ,

- and not by any self prompted act, which s lﬁsh after all is e . There are plenty of people whose lives would be brighter for a little love, and there is room for work I t for the bereaved . is thus that they sweeten their loss , and show that love for one person was not eclipsing the love of the Lord of Love . I 2 . n . . Family Karma Chapter IV , when dealing with heredity , we saw how f members of a family af ect each other . b Good and bad Karma from one mem er , may som et i m es affect the whole family ; but to what extent we affect each other is not possible for an ordinary mortal to know , the relation being M a so intricate . The ahar jah of Bob hili says that unless one tries to destroy his paternal sin by his good acts , that sin will never leave the ” family without reaping . All this sets us r e s o n thinking, for it shows how p I ndi vi dual and C ollecti ve K arma. 83

sible we are to mankind generally, and how we must seek to eradicate bad

Family Karma for the sake of posterity , o f and for the lessening its burdens , for assuredly the sins of the father will ‘ ” be visited on the children . One has the power to call down upon oneself t he f voluntarily, amily burden , and by ff it su ering , thus destroy the bad Family au shi t ak i K arma . In the K Upanishad is read , The son releases the father ” from the wrong he has done , and is said to take upon himself his father’s ’ Karma at the latter s death ; for that portion of Karma which belongs to the f family and is borne by the ather, must , on his death , pass on to the remaining members , for there is no Family Karma co n fi n ed beyond the grave , it is to S physical and astral life . uzuki says , One can overcome the evil Karma of u his family , and th s the evil Karma may be a means of lifting him . H is virtues can eclipse the evils of the past and turn a new page for him . This S piritual phenomenon is due to the virtue of 84 D octri ne of K arma. the upaya ( expedient means) of the Dharmakaya A knowledge of o f all these facts is high practical value . f o r e fle xion It contains o d for , and one can work out for himself or herself the lines o f action s uggested by the above statements . There is room for much to be said and done under the many cat io n s ram ifi of this kind of Karma . I t is not to be thought that Family uff Karma is unjust , for, no doubt , s ering that is engendered by the family must ’ have a counteracting effect on one s own a K so evil person l arma , we should not for grumble, but realise it is a good e purpose , or else we should not hav incarnated in the particular family we l are in . When the lessons are learnt f from on e amily , the Soul seeks another family for its next rebirth . This goes on continually . There is a curious be lief held t by many in certain par s of India . h The dead ancestors , whic they call ” “ ” “ sm asas or devourers , are said to destroy t he good Karma of one who is I ndi vldual and C ollecti ve K arma. 85

not properly buried . How came this curious belief M ay it not have reference to the Karma or fate o f the subtle - body or Etheric Double ? It would be interesting to trace this belief

to its source . There is a strange f passage, stranger still in being ound in s n the K au hit aki Upanishad . O entering

- the Heaven World , it is said that one an d drops his Karma , his relatives who

are dear to him receive his good deeds , and those not clear to him receive his

evil deeds . Not a bad way of getting rid of one’s Karma ! But what lies behind it ? This ' that Family Karma being generated by Family associations

&c . and interests , , belongs to the Family

as a w hole . , and not to its single members This Karma remains in the family we ea r t/z so o f , and when one dies , so much the family - begotten Karma remains with the surviving members o f the family i 1s f o f and those dearest to , by the act the sympathetic or magnetic bond

established , will naturally receive the oo e r g d , and those not d a , or sympa 86 D o r e K ma ct i n of ar .

l c w i l . theti ally united , ill receive the

But this , of course, must not be taken

fo r - can [2020 absolutely , no one say the is Family Karma really distributed , and so these two beliefs are given for what ’ M er son a l they are worth . oreover , one s p alon e Karma belongs to oneself , and can o g nowhere else .

. M 3 utual Karma . This is of m a many kinds . Friends y share their

Karmas , especially if the friendship is t rue ‘ w an d deep . When and to hat extent we cannot say . Societies ,

&c . Brotherhoods , , have a sort of o common Karma . S with Teachers I n and Pupils . all these cases the working of the Law cannot be traced , and in many cases the M utual Karma is o f the faintest degree. Its strongest action is in the case of the deepest a n d and truest friendships , also in the case of a Guru ! or Spiritual Teacher and his Disciple . The Guru shares

‘ ’ in his disciple s suffering ; and with all M asters and Their Disciples this happens b ecause o f the spiritual unio n I ndi vidual and C ollective K arma. 87

between them . Out of love to our

Teacher, in whatever grade he may b e ﬁ t , we should ourselves to become worthy followers . In the higher Path it is only when the pupil is ready that the master will appear . Again , the disciple shares to a greater or less degree in the spiritual b e n e ﬁ t s of the M e ast r , and brethren of one order or ’ u ni t ed society share in each other s merits and demerits .

4 . National Karma . Each nation “ ” K has a character, a arma , which is n o e built up slowly , and there is scape from the results thereof, save by powerful opposing Karma . The future of each nation is in accordance with its deeds done in the past, and the nature of the fall o f a nation is in accordance with what its past history decrees by its moral and social evo lu n tio , with all its admixture of right and wrong .

- 5 . Race Karma . Each Root Race ,

- - Sub Race , and Family Race has a

o r - Character Karma, and when its work D 88 octrine of K ar ma .

d v is one it gi es place to a new race . There are some races which afford Very interesting Karmic studies , and one can see how the fall of each race has been in

r a e acco dance with its ch racter , specially with the initial characteristics it showed

b i n forth in the eg n m g . The Romans and the Jews are excellent s ubjects for study. 6 . Universal Karma . This refers d to the whole Human Race , to the Go s or Celestial Powers , and to all classes of beings evolved in a Solar System . Every planet is destined to evolve along certain lines , but all will meet in the e in ﬂuen ce end . But we must ext nd the o f Universal Karma beyond the grave, for the spiritual unity of all beings can not be altered in any way whatever by the mere shedding o f the body . Those who s u ffer in the N arak as or H e lls or — Purgatories whatever we ma like t o call — y t hem need our utmost help . In those o f d deep and dark places the Astral Worl , where violent passions are being worked o ffw - deep and foul and miserable an d

90 D oc r ne of K arma t i .

b ﬁre s M egotten , and the asters have

shown the way , as history and legend — tell O f Orpheus t he Great Teacher o f ancient Greece whose true life is — involved in divine M yths w e learn M that he descended into Hades . ost

Religions have taught this doctrine .

The Jews , or sections of them at it least , believed , for we read in the M xii 6 Second book of accabees , 4 , It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be ” loosed from their sins . Among the “ Hindus , two of the Five Acts of Worship ( ﬁ ve Yajnas) are Pitri - yajna

- and Bhuta yajna , or reverence and remembrance for one’s ancestors and ff for spirits of all sorts . They o er symbolical libations and gifts for their

welfare . In the Buddhist Scriptures we read

A s rivers poured o n m oun tain tops M ust soon descen d an d reach the plai n ; S o surely what is given here

Will reach an d bless t he spi rit s there .

The Buddhist ceremony o f Pirit is I ndividual and C ollecti ve K arma. 91 for the b en eﬁt of spirits and souls o f the departed . The old Peruvians and Egyptians were very devout in this particular. Amongst Christians , the vast majority believe in prayers for the dead , viz . , the Greek and Roman

Churches , as well as some divisions amongst Protestants . The Naraka dwellers are therefore helped by “ ” our w ill - prayers inasmuch as their

Karma will allow , and how much that may be we cannot say . Though we may not take away their burdens , yet we can sometimes shorten their stay or brighten it to a certain degree . Univer sal Karma operates everywhere in the T r ib huvan a Three Worlds of , and j ust as we can help the departed , those in

s Devachan can help u . CHAPTE R X IV .

R I KA M C I NTELL IGENCES .

Karma is not a blind Law, nor is it in any way undirected . There are it Great Intelligences behind , and must so fo r be , especially the direction of its numerous currents and in guiding the time and manner and place of rebirth . All M ythologies have something to say about this . The Greeks were masters in personifying or making concret e in some way , the wonderful and some times dazzling abstractions of the Eastern Sages and Philosophers The East revels in in ﬁ n it e and limitless

e r so n iﬁe s . abstractions , the West p Thus , for example , the Karma of Eastern teaching is changed by the Westerns

‘ e m esis o r ecessit into the Goddess N , N y , i with the Three Fates and Three F ur e s. n e A oth r instance , the immortality and The K armic I ntelligences . 93

s as persistency of thoughts and deed , taught in the East , is changed by the West into the doctrine o f the Recording Angel who books our good and bad deeds . Le t us glance at the pe rso n iﬁcat io n s of the Karmic Intelligences . The f Karmic Rulers are really Four old , but their fourfold nature is sometimes h hidden under the number t ree . I n the Book of Revelations we read of the Four Angels of the Four Quarters of the

Earth . These , stationed symbolically at o in t s show direc the cardinal p , them to be tors of mundane affairs and in Ezekiel w e have the graphic vision of the Four “ Living Cre atures whose voice was as ” that of the Almighty . The S ca n din a vians believed in the Three Norn s or e Fat s ( Urd , Verdandi , and Skuld) .

Their parent would complete the Four . The Greeks were most successful in t he person iﬁ cat io n of the Karmic Gods ; indeed they are unapproachable in that art . The fourfold Powers of Karma are

Nemesis and the Three Fates . Now 94 D octri n e of K arma.

Nemesis is sometimes call e d A drast ia N eces (Justice) , and sometimes called e ce ssit a n d e o lat o n ic sitas ( N y ) , by the N p Theosophists She is also designated D 1v1n e Nature , and again , the e H rakles or Hercules . Nemesis is the

best name , as She was the rewarder of good and the pun 1she r of evil but there is great truth in every one of the other

names , for they each one bring out some characteristic of Karma ' I t is Just A dr as t ia ( ) , Necessary ( Necessitas) , the

Way of all Nature ( Natura) , and it is

strong and powerful ( Herakles) . As the s puni her of evil , She uses the Three M ae Furies , Tisiphone , eg ra , and Alecto .

When rewarding the good , the Furies become the Three Eumenid e s ( Be n evo e K r c lent Ones) . But the dir ctors of a m l

Law , besides Nemesis , were the Three

- e Fates Clotho, who pr sides over birth ; 3 1 Lache s , who spins the thread of life ;

and Atropos , who cuts the thread of life

e with her scissors . All good and all vil

were supposed to come from them , and h t ey were considered as inexorable , but 95 The K armic l ntelllgenoes.

nevertheless worthy o r proper re spect and reverence . In the secret tradition which

Theosophy has made known , these Powers are called the Fourfold Lipik a “ ” “ ” ( lit . Scribes or Recorders , who ‘ ’ are the adjusters or assessors of the destiny which a man has made “ ” D z an for himself ( see Stanzas of y , l P . trans ated by H . . Blavatsky) These Four Holy Ones are in and of and behind the Karmic Law , and by Their means the Supreme Lord controls the operations of man and nature karmically . CHAPTE R XV

M OD I FI CATI ON S O F TH E DOCTRI N E O F KA RM A AN D SO M E B ELI EFS AT T A C H E D

TH ERETO .

The Rule is that we reap what we m o diﬁ ca i n sow . The apparent t o o f the Rule is that we can sometimes

reap what we do not sow , and sow what we shall not reap ( o n this side a of Nirv na at any rate) . Looked at from below t hl s 1s a m o diﬁcat io n ; l ooked at from above it is a wider

ﬁ eld o f karmic activity . All modi

ﬁ cat io n s so - al , c led , practically come

under Collective Karma . Some Scrip tu res indicate what is apparently the reaping o f a greater harvest than was H e sown . For instance , who now giveth in love shall surely reap where

98 D r i K oct i ne o ar ma .

F a . mily Karma, viz , the beliefs regardi n g the improperly buried , and the dis ’ t r ib ut io n of one s karma amongst r n D elatives on e tering evachan . The last apparent m o diﬁ c at io n we 1 t ill no w consider under what is termed Patti ~ a d na , or the voluntary transfer of merit ” I t to others . is practically the same as “ ” ” making par ivar t a or turning o ver ’ on e s merits to aid mankind; In reading t he a o sa s cred writings , s me pas ges seem to condemn the belief an d others to i a d t . u phol In the Jatak s ( No . 494) it s e M a a a i repudiat d , and so in the ahabh r t “ in one passage which says , No man 1n he r it s the good or evil act of another ” person . Yet all the Scriptures and M ystical Writers declare that we c an do f w and af ect others , as sho n before . There is truth i n bo th statements according as we distinguish w hat w e can transfer and what we cannot . The M aharajah of B ob hili interprets the pa ssage from the M ahabharata to mean tha t no one inheri t s the good or evil ac t of another person done in hi s M odiﬁ cations of K arma. 99

n ot h previous existence, and in t is life ;

‘ s o that it is in the power only of our A K a ctive rma to aid others , and even then , only if nothing obstructs . His Highness goes on to say that we can h elp the sick , and that by bestowing a lms we help to relieve the re c1p1e n t as

A n - also the donor. alms deed helps “ pr ovided on ly if the aparachet an a (o r ” o thought behind the act, m tive) is pure and devoid of any desire to reap a I f reward therefrom . there is no pure b e n e ﬁ t a arachet an a e . p , th re is no reaped We can always desire to transfer o u r good deeds an d t ho ughts to the o s good of others . But d e this not i n terfere with the karma of others 21

o t how N if we understand the it is done . a f As matter of act, it is quite impossible a n d beyond our power to interfere wit h ’ anyone s karma . No o n e can receive good in disC r im in at ely fat the same time w e cannot say Who is ready to receive

w ho u aid and is not . Let s take an

u how w e s ill stration of do help other .

‘ Suppose a man walking alon g a wea ry 1 00 D octr ne of K a ma i r . road and carrying a heavy burden ; suppose also another man full of sympathy who comes up to him , talks

s to him , engage his interest , so that time e pass s quickly as we say, and lo ! the ’ e n d r journey s is reached , and the bu den was half forgotten in the mutual interest . t h Now, in this case the man carried e

e burden he made for hims lf, it was his

Karma to bear his own burden , yet in a very real sense, too , his companion h helped to lighten the burden . T at is ’ lzow we help to bear one another s lear n 1n burdens . It is the g how to use C the yoke of the hrist, that makes Christ to bear the burdens of those w ho take e h His yok , t at is , His way of carrying the burden , and His way was that of

t . pa ience , humility, and love Real love,

a sympathy, and compassion tow rds others help them to bear their loads

e and shorten the journ y to the goal . r s u n s m Conversely, the dep e sed and y pat hetic affect the conditions of all they i n t come contact wi h those, for instance, ho ut w not content to bear sorrow, b

D o K 102 e et ri ne f arma .

e s Them . Who knows what disast r e e n They have av rt d ; who knows , eve m when disasters and misfortunes co e, what Hand has mitigated them ? I s there not a deep truth in the statement that the M asters can bear our sorrows and feel the weight of our iniquiti e s ? That is why among the M ahayan a Buddhists the pious always pray that the N ir m an ak ay as or Buddhas of a us Compassion may never le ve , that Those Gre at Ones who reachin g Nirvana renounce with great sac riﬁce a the enjoyment of Nirv na , may remain

a spiritu lly present to help the world , a nd physically present if need b e . I n the above remark s anent thi s

- inter operative working of Karma , there is no shirking of one’s responsibility

implied , and we must reap what we sow I f e t o in the long run . we g some go d t or evil from o hers , it is for a purpose , an d the evil may mitigate some o f our o wn od wrong , whilst the go externally received helps u s in t he fruition of o ur ow n good or in the power to help M odiﬁ cations of K arma . 103 others an d although it is impossible t o penetrate the labyrinthine maze of karmic operations , we must realise that u s no injustice can ever be done to , and we are quite s afe in the hands o f the o Great Brahm . S also we can remember that j ust as the man in the illustratio n given above w as really helped b y the presence of a sympathetic companion

‘ although he must perforce carry his o wn t o o v burden , so we can surely ha e our burdens sweetened if only we walk by the s ide of the Lord an d M aste r v t o and con erse with Him , and listen H i s e Voice , which speaks wher no

’ sound can b e heard in t he ineffabl e o f dept hs our Souls . CHAPTE R XVI .

L E BY SSO NS TA UGHT KARMA .

The more we understand the Law of K arma the more we see ho w careful we

must be of our acts and thoughts , and

how responsible we are to our ‘ fellow n h bei gs . Living in t e light of this

knowledge , we learn certain lessons day

1 . Patience . Knowing that the Law it is our great helper if we serve , and that no harm can come to us if we work it u s with , knowing also that it blesses ust a t t he n ht t i m e j ig , and the end of it ﬁ n al all is good , we learn the grand

lesson of patience , and that impatience h I n uff is a c eck to growth . s ering , we

know that we are paying a debt , and we

learn , if we are wise, not to create more

ffe . su ring for the future In rejoicing, we

are thankful for its sweetness . Patience

106 D octri ne of K arma.

- 3 . Self Reliance . As we in the past have caused ourselves to be what we now are, so by what we do now will our future be determined a know ledge and recollection of this fact , and that the glory of the future i s u s limitless , must in time give great

- self reliance , and will take away that tendency to appeal for external help , which is really no help at all . “ Thoreau said , I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestion able ability of man to elevate his ” life by a conscious endeavour . A n d the last words of the Buddha were , “ Work out your salvation with dili gence ! I t is said also in the D ham e mapada, that by ones lf evil is done ; by oneself one suffereth ; by oneself evil is left undone ; by oneself one is r iﬁ e d pu . Purity and impurity belong f ” to onesel , no one can purify another .

4 . Restraint . Naturally, if we realize that the evil we do w i11~ r et ur n us to strike , we will grow to be very careful lest we do or say anything that Lessons to b e learnt from K arma. 107 is not good , and pure , and true . Know ledge of Karma will restrain u s from ’ - wrong doing , for others sakes as well as for our own . Guard the thoughts ; a sin is done by a positive thought , even if that thought is not carried into effect for th o ughts are as r e al in the mental world as deeds are in the material — “ world . Jesus said , Every one that looketh on a w oman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her

e M . V . alr ady in his he art ( att , The constant sending out of good thoughts to others is of paramount importance , and is the best of prayers , but put intention and energy and w ill into them . Another thing to be learnt is that we must beat down every wrong thought that comes to the mind , by the power of the Higher Self.

5 . Responsibility . The fact of the spiritual unity of the H uman Race, since it is one at root , brings out the fact also of our responsibility one to A t f . another. the beginning o C hap X I I I . we saw how interdependent we are one 08 1 D octri ne of K arma.

upon another , and how it was our duty to Humanity at large to abandon evil

and do good .

6. Power. The more we make the

D v octrine of Karma a part of our li es , the more power we gain not only to overcome evil , but to direct to a great

, extent our future and to help ) more

ff o u e ectively , our neighb rs . This is

- because, becoming self reliant, we draw down strength from the Higher Self B D within . y that ivine One within

our life should be guided , and in His strength we overcome limitations , we destroy the fetters that keep u s from a Nirv na, and we are enabled to become

i u a consc o s Helpers of Hum nity .

a 7 . Renunci tion of the Fruits of

Action . Here is the essence of the

whole philosophy in a nutshell . It is only Action t hat keeps us bound to

t he D Wheel of Birth , eath , and Rebirth ; s a for Action i K rma . It matters not c whether the a tion be physical , moral , or m u s o f ental , it binds to the spheres

activity where Karma rules . But are

D 1 10 octri n e of K arma.

' ”eve? w zt/z i n f r u i t s ; so let not the fruit of action be thy motive , nor be thou ” “ to inaction attached . Perform w action , dwelling in union ith the D ivine, renouncing attachments , and balanced evenly in s uccess and failure

( ii . , 47 Performing action without

m an attachment, verily reacheth the ” Supreme ( iii . ,

The disciplined Self, moving among sense - objects with senses free from

attraction and repulsion , mastered by E F ” S L . 6 the , goeth to Peace ( ii , 4) “ Affection and aversion for the objects of sense abide in t he senses ; let no m an come under the dominion of these two they are his adversaries ( iii . , VVhat so e ve r thou doest , whatsoever

o ffe r est thou eatest , whatsoever thou , s what oever thou givest, whatsoever thou f doest of austerity, do thou as an of ering ”

M e . unto ( ix , How this reminds ’ “ u u s of S t . Pa l s words : Whether e therefore y eat or drink , or whatsoever ” e Go d y do , do all to the glory of M e I x . ( Cor . , Come unto alone Lessons to b e learnt from K arma. 1 1 1

I for shelter ; sorrow not , will liberate i E h . thee from all sins ( . G ta xviii , I n these i n spired words the Voice of the M aster is heard teaching u s the s e cret of Action in I n act io n and so we learn how actions may have no binding force, and we escape the Karmic web to

et . become one with Life , y live not H AP R C TE XVI I .

S UM M A R Y A I AN D CO RO LL R ES .

I 15 . The meaning of Karma ﬁve fold

Act, action , or activity . of The Law of Action , or ff Cause and E ect, or of

Retribution .

Retribution . One’s stock of merits and ’ demerits one s deserts .

5 . Character ; which is the result of past sowing and ex

r n ce ge ie s.

1 . The origin of Karma lies inherently in the Second

Logos , but is guided by the

Third Logos or Demiurgus .

2 . The Development of Karma is

Evolution in the widest sense,

- physical moral , mental ,

an d spiritual .

1 1 4 D octrin e f K ma o ar .

2 . M oral Karma . The I mm e r D tality of eeds .

. M 3 ental Karma . Simultaneity D of Will and Action , of eed f and Ef ect .

1 . s Active Karma . The thought and deeds of the present life s a owing for the future .

2 . n Passive Karma . The Enviro ments and Conditions into

which one is born , as a result

of past lives .

K a Reproductive arm . Con genital Character or Natural D isposition resulting from t he t h past . That which starts e

new life .

r o Suppo tive Karma . Ability t t he nourish , add to , or develop

Reproductive Karma .

K . s 3 . C ounteractive a rma Action a a th t we ken , obstruct , inter

rupt , or retard Reproductive K arma . n s D estr uctive Karma . Actio 1 5 S ummary and C orollaries. 1

that annul completely a Sup o r i p t ve Karma .

. 1 . m o r V I I Weighty Kar a . Good Bad of a superlative or very r ff se ious nature , taking e ect

more quickly than other kinds .

2 D - . eath proximate Karma . The ’ Will or Force behind one s e dying thoughts , which hav power to affect the condition s t of the next rebirth , and tha power is more or less effective according to the developm e n t

of the Soul . n 3 . Habitual K arma . Karma e

gendered by Habits . m . e 4 Cu ulative Karma. The stor of merits and deme r its held a t the tim e being as an inherit

- s ance of all pa t lives , and awaiting suitable occasions t o

fructify .

I I I 1 I - V . . mmediately Effective Karma . That which fr u ct iﬁe s i n — thi s

e . life , unless destroy d 1 6 D 1 octrine of K arma.

2 . ff a Remotely E ective Karm . That which ripens in the next

e lse ' fa ils rebirth , or for ever . i l . I n de ﬁ n t e f 3 y Ef ective Kar ma . That which is held over until circumstances will allow it to

ffe have e ct .

- 4 . Non effective Karma . That which is too weak to have ff h e ect , or t at which is inhibit ed by D estructive

K arma . I X . 1 . K Bad arma . Reaped in

Worlds of Sense. 2 Good Karma . Reaped in

Worlds of Sense , Form , or Non - form ; on Earth and

e the higher astral l ev ls , in the Heavens of Form and of l s e s Fo r m es n s .

X . 1 . . Justice

2 . . Compassion

3 . Impartiality that is True .

M an X I 1 . . . Human Evolution of to

God .

1 1 8 D octri ne 01 K rma a .

d. K a National rma . K e. Racial arma . K f . Universal arma .

All of the above are differe nt ways in which the Law affects “ ” e n m asse those of united

sympathies , psychic bonds , or r un whose lives into each other ,

or blend . All H umanity is one at its Root and the deeds of f ll one af ect a .

K a I rmic ntelligences . T he Li ik a M Four p , inisters of the G ho Logos , or Karmic ods , w direct the working of the

- P e r s Law intelligently . on iﬁed by the Greeks as Nemesis ‘ a n d t he T hree Fates .

' ‘ olla r zes to til e oct r i n C or D e.

I D . . estiny and Fate Explained

n a “ i C h p . V . We are the ou r decreers of own Fate . D estiny is a very powerful Karm a which we cannot S ummary and C orollaries.

b ut prevent , which was set

going by ourselves .

2 Freewill . Explained in Chap . I I “ V . The Will is only partly v free , and as we impro e our Character we gradually make

our wills freer and freer . Culture and N u r t Ur e improve

Character . M : 3 . Transfer of erits to others

This can only be partial , and may not be exactly in the " in we way which intended . I t is in the hands o f the

K armic I ntelligences . See I I . X V . Chapters X I and , P ar ivar t a P a id n and t t a a .

- 4 . A ncestor Worship . Based on

F amily Karma, which see . ff D 5 . Aiding the Su ering eparted . e I S e C hapter X I I . Based on the Law of the underlying all unity of Souls , and the fact that we must on that n ff accou t a ect each other ,

here or departed . “

D octri ne of K arma.

u In conclusion , let me q ote a beauti fu l passage from Light on the Path . H e who d e sires to be K ar m ale ss must

' o look to the air f r a home, and after that e H e to the eth r. who desires to form good Karma will mee t with many con f fusions , and in the ef ort to sow rich

e m a se d for his own harvesting, y plant a thousand weeds , and among them the D S I R ‘T O sow N O D giant . E E S EE F O R YO U R O WN H A RVES TI N G ; desire only to sow that seed the fruit of which shall

ed t he w or ld 0 l fe , and thus , Trave ler o on the Path , th u wilt be treading the Holiest Path of the Buddhas of

Compassion .

M ay whatever merit there may be in this Exposition be universally distributed among all bei n gs And m a all beings — y re ach That Other Shore the Bliss and N a — Enlightenment of irv na Supreme,

e ! Perf ct , Great , and Everlasting

O M M AN I P ADM E ~ H U M !