Chapter 5
The Cosmic Laws.
"Beautiful is the Law, that permits each incarnated being to have within him eternal Agni, as a light in the darkness. Beautiful is the Law which in spite of karma issues Light to each wayfarer"(F.W.I.183)
Almost every man at least once in his life thinking over his destiny inquires of "Who or what influences a man? Maybe the certain Laws governing human's life do really exist?"
It often happens in the period of illnesses, difficulties, in overcoming everyday adversities. And then the voice sounds deeply inside: "Why do misfortunes fall upon me? What am I guilty of?" Many begin to blame other people or circumstances, considering them to be blamed in current events. But very few people say: "Maybe I myself am to be blamed in all what happen?" And sooner or later the thought comes: "Isn't it possible to influence my future?"
A man recollects that sometimes before the accident or the death-blow of fate he saw the prophetic dreams, as though to be made ready for them. And those who try to inquire into the heart of the matter begin to touch the truth that the world is governed by certain laws , and these laws were known on the East thousands years ago, and the Living Ethics discovers scientific base of these laws.
The time will come and the Law of Reincarnation and Karma will firmly enter the consciousness of people of the West. Everybody will learn that he comes to the Earth repeatedly incarnating in different bodies, and blows of fate and gays of life are the consequences of some causes in the previous lives.
Bhagavat Gita writes about man's destiny: "He isn't born and He doesn't die. Having once received be-ness, He doesn't' cease to be.
Like a man, having thrown off the decrepit clothes puts on new ones, so He throws off worn out bodies and envelopes himself in new ones.(II, 20-22).
The first who had brought the knowledge of these Laws in full measure to the people of the West was our country-woman Helena Petrovna Blavatsky.
The Law of Reincarnation is one of the laws of evolution which permits correctly and very precisely to determine everything that happens to a man. The Law says that the Spirit rises to the highest pedestal of perfection - to the state of Godman in His long evolutionary way, changing different bodies and, without stopping for a moment, proceeds His way along the infinite ladder of Hierarchy of Light.
People often ask "Why don't we remember the past lives?" Very long ago a man, plunging deeper and deeper into the matter, lost the bond with Higher World and began to consider his earthly life the only objective reality. But the initiated (those who penetrated into the Truth) always knew that the earthly life is only a small length on the continuous way of evolution. Sanely reasoning one may come to a conclusion that in the frames of human life a man can hardly attain perfection.
However the knowledge about past lives may rather impede the evolution of ungrounded person. Let's imagine, how the real scene in which you are killing your tribesman among whom your closest relatives may be found, will reverberate your consciousness.
Somebody may object, that the cases of such kind might not happen to him! Alas, theLaw reads that we all passed our way from mineral to Homo Sapiens, and there were many various steps on this way, and at times rather complicated ones.
Theosophy says of the minimum 777 incarnations of a man on the Earth. But as a matter of fact this number is much greater because the way of evolution is rather intricated. So the Nature has wisely done having bereaved a man his memory of the past which may aggravate man's being on the Earth and draw him back from his sacred aim, from perfectness.
On the East the knowledge about the law of reincarnation sometimes led to another paradox, confirming the statement that knowledge of the secret (innermost) is not always boon. A man told himself: "All that I won't succeed to do in this incarnation, I'll do in another." But is it possible to live forgetting that the term of evolution is utmostly concised and to pass it in strain is obligatory.
We are often asked about the Law of Reincarnation, as it is absent in Bible, as if Jesus Christ didn't speak about it. Really they don't know up to now that only in the sixth century at the Second Konstantinopol's Council priests adopted the resolution due to which this law doesn't exist. They decided two more questions at this Council; whether a woman has got a Soul and whether this Soul can be placed on the top of the needle?
"And how many statements about reincarnation in the Gospels in the words of namely Christ Himself? The church's fathers took a great sin for excluding this Law of the Highest Justice from the consciousness of the flock trusted to them. But we are also sinned by our passive connivance, by our nonresistance to evil. So we all are to be blamed for ourselves and for all the others, and we cannot separate us from the whole mankind and Cosmos. Verily, Cosmos has been within us and we have been within It. And only the acknowledgment of this unity gives us the possibility to join the completeness of such an existence." (Letters.,17.10.35)
If we read the Bible very attentively we'll find many places to explain which we can only from the position of the law of reincarnation.
"The disciples put a question to Him: "Why then do our teachers say that Elijah must come first?" He replied, "Yes, Elijah will come and set everything right. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they failed to recognize him, and worked their will upon him; and in the same way the Son of Man is to suffer at their hands". Then the disciples understood that He meant John the Baptist". (Matt.,17,10-13)
"Jesus answered, "In truth, in very truth I tell you, unless a man has been born over again he cannot see the kingdom of God". "But how is it possible", said Nicodemus, "for a man to be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb a second time and be born?" (John,3,3-5)
Theosophy tells us that there cannot be more than 3-7 incarnations in succession as a man or a woman, so if the representatives of the opposite sex sometimes offend you, isn't it the consequence of that you also offended them.
The professor of psychiatry in Virginia University Jean Stevenson studied the strange occurrences when children told about their previous lives. In some cases there was the opportunity to make sure in trustworthiness of the stories adduced.
He described the case with the girl Sukla, a daughter of Bengali railway worker.
Favourite game of the girl was dandling the pillow, which she called Mina. The girl told that they had lived in Bhatpara and she asked her parents to drive her to that town.
When at last, she got to Bhapar she pointed to the house in which she lived earlier. And it appeared that there really lived a woman who died having left a daughter Mina! The girl unfailingly recognized among 30 strange people her husband, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and Mina herself. These and many other details were thoroughly verified and confirmed.
Stevenson skeptically looked upon the technique of transmitting human consciousness (in the state of hypnotism) into the previous lives until he came across one particular case. The American woman from Philadelphia in the state of hypnotism recalled that in the previous life she was a Swedish farmer, and though she didn't know the Swedish she began to speak Swedish fluently. Swedes who were invited there confirmed her correct, without any accent speaking, in spite of the fact that Americans are not able in fact to utter some vowels of Swedish. These and other observations carrying out in many countries at present, confirm the assumption that our individuality is located not only and may be not so much in physical body.
You sometimes see in your dreams a strange town, street, house, and then, coming to an unknown town, you begin to recognize these familiar from your dreams houses and streets. The memory of past lives appears in children. Children tell about them, but the adults don't want to listen to them, referring everything to children's fantasies. However, it's worth while lending an ear to , isn't it?
It's interesting to know that Dalay Lama (the supreme ruler of Tibet and the leader of Buddhism) isn't elected, and isn't appointed; but according to buddhistic tradition the High Spirit of Dalay Lama at the moment of Death transmigrates to the body of a new-born child. The child to whom the spirit has transmigrated, is being found and determined by the experienced astrologists and lamas, then having become an adult he takes the post of Dalay Lama. In the same way it happened to present Dalay Lama XIY.
One of the proofs of the discussed law is the inequality existing now in the world, like such facts when the children with rather different inclinations are born in one and the same family. Having passed long evolutionary way by the moment of his birth the Spirit has got his own evolutionary potential. Realization of this potential is the main aim of every man.
Before incarnation the Spirit receives the definite task which he pledges to fulfill. Even the spirit incarnating from the low astral level voluntarily agree to fulfill the earthly task. Indeed the involution into the matter permits the spirit to pass quicker his way, and especially great progress he achieves having incarnated in the places with difficult living conditions. And today the incarnation on the territory of Russ is the possibility for some spirits to realize their spiritual potential, and to accomplish the spiritual ascending, and for the others it is the chance "to correct" i.e. to process past negative qualities. Thus, having retraced the evolution of Slavs, we'll see that among us we have some indifferent people, but few, and probably this is really an image of evolutionary role of Russ.
Astrology, hypnosis and meditation give the possibility to fathom the past incarnations, but very often it is of pure acquainting character. But for us is very important to recognize the task of a given incarnation. Such knowledge gives the possibility to ascend to the next step of evolution and to experience the true happiness here on the Earth. Indeed, if a man correctly discern his task he begins to live receiving an invisible energetic support and even the difficulties which he meets on this way serve only as steps for achieving his main goal.
For discerning one's own way he may employ a meditation when separating himself from the daily fuss a man begins to analyze his own actions, his life. In the case of persistent work in this direction the knowledge will certainly come "for there is no hidden that will not become public" and especially in self-cognition.
The Law unbreakably connected with the Law of Reincarnation is the Law named Karma (fate) or the Law of Causes and Effect. Sanskrit word karma means action, i.e. as a result of some actions the consequences appear which have the foundation in preceded events. Every cause in the world has its effect and a man's fate is the consequence of different causes laid long ago or recently.
Any law in ideal is neither bad nor good, it is a rule according to which those or other changes or events occur.
Cosmic Laws are primarily the laws of the Highest Justice, and at present stage of evolution become to be comprehended by many. H.P.Blavatsky described mostly trustworthy the action of the Law of Karma.
What are the moments to pay attention at first?
Three types of forces determining the man's fate.
`The aspirations, created in one incarnation, transmute in a new incarnation into aptitudes, repeating thoughts into inclinations, the impulses of will into activity, a multitude of trials transmutes into wisdom, and sufferings of soul into its conscience.
This knowledge permits a man to change himself, his character. This law has its reflection in Russian proverb "As you sow you shall mow". Thus if we want to change ourselves we must do our best to change our thoughts. For instance you want to become calm and sure (confident), so you must repeat to yourself "I'm calm and I'm sure of myself" at least three times a day.
Certainly you must display persistence, and beneficial influence of these thoughts will manifest itself literally within 2 or 3 months. Practically you can completely change yourself. There is one peculiarity which you obligatory have to know. You mustn't negate, i.e. you mustn't say "I'm not irritating" or "I haven't got insomnia", you must only insist on the positive qualities "I'm calm and I have got a wonderful sleep".
Wish and its highest aspect - will are the mightiest creative forces of the Universe. Man's wishes determine the place of his future incarnation.
Wishes as well as thoughts create our friends and enemies.
The wishes of earthly things chain our soul to the Earth, the elevated wishes draw us to the Heaven. Binding himself to the object of his wish a man can change his destiny not to the best side.
Thus one of our countrymen, a teacher, wanted to earn money very much. So one day he loads his car with different goods in order to ride to Poland to sell them there. In the morning when he is ready to leave the car motor doesn't start. The invited specialists make helpless gestures. But his desire to go is so strong that by the evening the car suddenly starts. The teacher has gone away. On his way to Poland just similar breakages happened four times! But his desire to go is too strong! And near the Warsaw huge heavy lorry telescopes into his car. The result of the accident - reanimation, neurosurgery and disableness.
Man's deeds influence the outer circumstances of his next life. Very often repeated deeds create his physical habits.
The motive is of the greatest importance in individual's deeds. The indifferent motive doesn't produce any effect in the soul, evil motive retards its development, good motive will enrich it for ever; the high motive, having in mind only the God's will, the motive which doesn't wish anything for his own benefit will lead a man to freedom and perfectness. In any case, the higher is the source from which the individual's inner activity proceeds, the more prolonged, and the mightier its consequences will be.
Three types of human karma
_The mature karma_
Freedom of choice was in the past. The causes engendered by the individual in his previous incarnations determine:
_The engending karma._
This karma is engendered by our today's life, our thoughts, wishes and deeds.
These are the crops we are sowing now, and the fruit of which we'll reap in future.
Nowadays, due to accelerating and the completion of our evolutionary cycle, many people, mainly those going along the path of spiritual selfperfection, mark the quickness of the action of the law and ensuring the consequences of the committed deeds anyway in a given incarnation.
Our patients very often give the examples from their life when the fate warns and directs a man.
The following story was told by the leading designerof one of the industrial enterprises.
In his young age at the beginning of his carrier he often had conflicts with his commandment because they sometimes tried "to keep him down", to humiliate, they didn't allow him to introduce new methods of work. Once visiting his groupmate on his holidays, he got acquainted with a new plant and was offered an interesting job there, besides, he was promised not only the apartments for his family, but also favourable conditions for creative work. After vacations he again meets difficulties and lack of understanding. In a month after the next in turn conflict with his commandment he makes up his mind to go away, to abandon his work, to desert his family (at home he also met lack of understanding by that time, they convinced him to subdue "You cannot chop wood with the penknife".) There left 2 hours before the train started. Having quickly equipped, having taken only the most necessary, he with his friends travels to the station. Having in mind that there must not be any problems with tickets because he went there only two months ago, and having queued for rather a long time, he at last asks to give him a ticket. But the cashier answers him that such a station doesn't exist. He is sincerely indignant, he tries to prove that not long ago he just went there, but the queue drives him away. He rushes to the next booking office, his friends help him, and there he hears the analogous answer. He stands puzzled in the middle of the hall. Just at that moment one of his friends asks him a very interesting technical question which attracts the attention of the whole company. The argument flares up and they leave for the friend to discuss the details. And literally in a week's term he is sent for training to one of the biggest plants and namely for solving the problem which he upholded. His joy was endless. And again at the station having bought a ticket to a new place, he decided to ask if there were tickets to the station where he had wanted to go a week before, and there were the answer "Yes, there are, please."
Telling about the complicacy of people's destinies we often hear in reply about various turn points of their destinies happened beside their will. These are the manifestations of the universal Law which often gives the possibility to realize the highest creative qualities through the overcoming of difficulties. But does it often happen that we lend an ear to the Voice of Destiny?
Karma, of course, is a very complicated law, which takes into account our numerous features. So we may speak about karma of a family, society, and also about karma of a country, and the whole mankind.
There is no future that has been done already. A man himself makes his destiny, that's why the new Teaching came to replace the eastern fatalism, and the Teaching proclaims "A man is higher than his Fate!" Everybody must know that only he himself can change his destiny. It is never bad or good, these are the man's definitions. But in fact our life is the possibility of attaining definite qualities. The law says that nobody has any right to interfere with the other's destiny until a man himself asks for help. Everything that happens first of all is necessary for a man himself and interference from outside leads to sad results. So you see how dangerous is to resort to the help of fortune-tellers, or to the other sources which offer the diagnostics of karma. Really the true initiated will never intervent into another destiny because he understands that instead of the learned lesson a man gets a prompt, and when in more complicated life he has to make the only right decision, it may happen he won't be able to do this.
But we are in hesitation - How to act? The answer as a rule is insideus, we only have to do our best to look deep into our soul, it's necessary to wake up our intuition. And remember that the motive of the deeds leads along the life. The high motive raises, while the mean one precipitates from the ladder of the evolution.
"A man determines his own predestination in Cosmos. To tell that this predestination is manifested only by the current of evolution is to make him a plaything of destiny. Destiny, Cosmos or Infinity - one can term as he likes, but to affirm that a man is drawn by the evolutionary process without participation of his will means to separate a man from Cosmos. I say, the spirit in its nucleus bears predestined way in Infinity. The inclination to be disunited with the affirmed way is the way that carries away this spirit into the space. It is in the nucleus of spirit where we'll find the way which leads to the Infinity. Search in the nucleus of spirit!" (Inf.I,86)
There is another law in Cosmos which constantly works in concord with the others. This is the law of Free Will. And if a man persistently tries to change his destiny he may do this, but sometimes not to the best. Recollect the journey to Poland. The law of free will permits to enter the flow of ascendance or to fall into abyss. A man himself bears responsibility for his way.
"We may attend to warn, but never can break the Law of Free Will. Among the destinies of Atlantida one can see that the warnings poured abundantly, but the madmen didn't listen to. So such the warnings one can find in the other epochs"(Br.,524)
But what to do if a man doesn't want to change himself and behaves with animosity towards us? Do we have to accomplish any good deeds in such a situation? Anyhow we think that it is Confucius who prompts a way out
"Is it right to say that one must return good for evil?" The Teacher said: "And then what will one return for the good? One must return for the evil by the way of justice, and for the good the good."
People sometimes very oversimplify the words by Christ that "If someone slaps you on the right cheek turn and offer him your left". The Savior said these words having in mind just the Law of Karma. Because any action has the cause-effect connection and to break it is possible not by the reciprocal evil actions but only by humbleness and not in physical body but in Spirit.
Certainly the blind copying of the life of great people gives nothing because everybody on the earth fulfills his own task. Thus for example vegetarianism is one of the conditions of the spiritual advance but is not decisive. Buddha said in this connection " If it were only for vegetarianizm then a cow and an elephant long ago had become the saints".
The search of one's own destination is the most important task. Having found it a man enters Cosmic Stream of Harmony. But it of course doesn't mean that he will exist in "a kind of nirvana." Very often the evolutionary progress supposes rather complicated struggle, but this is a struggle against one's own self, own passions, own wishes.
For that who wants to take a way of changing his destiny the knowledge of the Law of Sacrifice will be in help. Until we achieve the level of Adept who takes into consideration all the factors influencing the destiny we must obey namely this Law which reads that the sign of Spirit is giving and the sign of matter is seizure.
Accomplishing good actions we always sacrifice ourselves, our time, our possibilities, and then we ascend the ladder of evolution, but if we want anything for ourselves only, for our "ego" we descend then.
Note, the sacrificial idea we find in all the religions of the world.
Some western psychologists consider the Law of Sacrifice from the pure economic positions. They say that if you want to score big success in life, then do direct at least 10 per cent of your profit for charity. So the practicalness of the West accepted this Law.
We are often asked whether to give or not to give alms. The law of sacrifice works only if a sacrifice gives the possibility for a man or organization to use these means for evolutionary achievement. So it is quite important not only to sacrifice, but to make sure that these means are used for the righteous affair. And Agni Yoga says that the alms should be given by food stuffs or by the work.
And by no means you have to pity for that charity. The effect of the law in such a case will come practically to naught.
Like parting words the expression of Gothama Buddha sounds nowadays:
"Immortality can only be attained by constant good action; and perfectment is achieved only through compassion and mercy".
There is one more important aspect; if we want this law to act, we mustn't wait to obtain anything material in return. The law acts not according the human prophecy, but according to cosmic one, and often these are not so much material as the possibility to realize one's own evolutionary progress. And in particular this law acts towards those striving to the spiritual perfectment.
Intuitive knowledge of this law helped the reach trustees in the last century to escape of vital difficulties, thus the Law of Sacrifice is realized in material world.
One eastern teacher taught the Laws of wisdom very well and for his work he needed more spacious apartment. A rich merchant decided to sacrifice quite a large sum of money for acquiring the house. He brought that money, and the teacher answered: "Well, I'll take them."
The merchant gave money, but he was puzzled with the teacher's reaction. "In spite of my richness this sum is very large even for me."
"Do you want me to thank you?"
"You must do it",- the merchant said.
"Why must I?",- uttered the teacher. "That who gives must thank".
A man being ushered to the achievement of the Highest Truth can realize his desire only having discerned the Cosmic Laws. And the Law of Sacrifice is realized only through the labour for the Common Benefit. So it is percepted in all vedic books and in books of Agni Yoga as the necessary step of ascending.
"In the main laws there were mentioned the sacrifices, but only the later misunderstandings and spiritual falls lead a man to bloody offerings. Sacrifice was always mentioned, but what may be most worthy offering to the Highest spirit? Of course only the purest spiritual striving." (F.W.,II,366)
Let us accept that the Highest Laws exist and everybody can cognize their action. And in such a manner we create a way to happiness or we doom ourselves for ignorance and lack of understanding of the essence of life.
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