An anonymous reader asks my opinion on the Trans-Himalayan teachings, as they’ve been called, going from H.P. Blavatsky to Mabel Collins Cook to the Temple of the People to Agni Yoga to Alice Bailey etc.
First of all: Mabel Collins wrote during Blavatsky’s life, so it isn’t so much that she replaced Blavatsky as that there [...]
I find myself writing posts in reverse order: starting with the complicated stuff and ending with the basics. Today’s post is the basics, but it is in some ways also the hardest part of the doctrine of karma.
The doctrine of karma is in Biblical words ‘as you sow, so you will reap’. Contrary to what [...]
Comments on my posts about group karma have made it clear that not all of my readers are aware of the basics of the doctrine of karma.
The law of karma (a law of nature just like the law of physics) basicly states that all action will have consequences for the person acting. In everyday life [...]
Group Karma is but the specific working out of a more general aspect of karma that gets ignored or forgotten too easily. In the words of H.P. Blavatsky:
Nor would the ways of Karma be inscrutable were men to work in union and harmony, instead of disunion and strife.
and
The concept of group karma was introduced into theosophical literature when an Anglican Priest (C.W. Leadbeater) was asked to go to India to support Blavatsky when she was under attack from missionaries there. The main issue then was perception. It was good for the public perception of Blavatsky to be supported by a minister.
Recent events [...]
Yes, I’m talking about a black president being elected, the economic downturn and even the war in Iraq.
Karma is usually explained from an individual perspective. It’s mainly about personal responsibility. Karma is both a message of: make sure you act right! and a call for justice in general. From the passive perspective karma is also [...]
Rachel writes:
I stumbled upon your site regarding the discussion of Reiki. I was drawn to Reiki after recently receiving a healing session from a Reiki Master and have since wished to learn Reiki so that I may help others, as well as myself. The Reiki Masters I have been able to locate all charge a [...]
My post about My disillusionment with Jiddu Krishnamurti has gotten quite a lot of comments. ‘Rinzai’ said the other day:
Whether beginners are practicing virtues or not is their problem not yours. Believe in no teachers, trust your own logic, your own experiences, make your own mistakes, learn and grow. Have a courageous attitude and be [...]
There is a lot of talk about intentions these days. ‘Intenders of the highest good’ and similar phrases. I’m not much of a fan of such talk. It’s much easier to ‘intend’ something, than it is to actually do it. The master says:
Put without delay your good intentions into practice, never leaving a single one [...]
My understanding of karma comes back to habits. Habits of the mind, habits of the heart, habits of the word and habits of action.
We know that all thought strengthens certain pathways in the brain. From a theosophical, Buddhist and Hindu perspective these thoughts aren’t just strengthened in the brain, but in a more lasting way [...]