Our present way of life often fails to satisfy us or give us peace, even when we are "happy." At times we feel empty and look for fulfillment outside ourselves. And there are always those ready to promise to fill this inner emptiness at once, for a price.
Humanity is so busy with "wanting and getting" that we seem to have lost sight of the question: Who are we, and why are we here?
We invite you to reflect on some important questions and comments concerning timeless ideas. These ideas can be applied to your daily life and may give you a new way of thinking about the human condition and purpose.
The search for your own truth is a personal journey, but you are not alone in this search. Every day we must live in this world, take part in things and relate to others; yet in the process a part of us often goes unnourished. It is easy to compare ourselves with others and to measure our success in money. Yet even if we were richer and had more possessions and power, there would still be moments when we became aware of an emptiness within.
There is a way of life directed more toward inner fulfillment than outer gain. Teachings that encourage self-discovery and self-awareness have always existed. With right development we can calm the thoughts and emotions that threaten to overwhelm us, and begin to sense the deep core of consciousness that is our true self.
It is possible to awaken our higher powers, such as intuition, understanding, insight, love, compassion and creativity, to begin to realize our potential, and to learn what it means to be fully human.
This way of life helps us to act both in awareness of our unity with all and in the knowledge that our thoughts, words and actions have definite consequences. Today we can see this principle very clearly in the effects of humanity's decisions on the ecology of the planet.
How Do My Thoughts and Words Affect My Life?
It is generally accepted that human beings have freedom of choice. We are constantly choosing what to think, and when we become aware of what we are thinking, we can see its effect on our health and on the pattern of events in our lives.
Thought is the first, powerful link in the chain. When we study the power of sound on subtle levels, we understand that in thinking we produce a thought-form. The second link is the expression of the thought, that is, speech. By putting a thought into words we give it great power and turn it into something concrete for which we are personally responsible. These first two links are closely connected with the actions that follow. It is said that with the tone of our own voice we compose the "melody" that echoes through our lives. Thought is a vibration, and as self-conscious beings we have the power to create. Through our thoughts, words and actions we sound our own keynote and set up certain rhythms. These vibrations attract one another; hence the saying "like attracts like."
We can use this potent force positively, for the benefit of all life, or selfishly. If we choose the latter, it affects not only our own lives but also the people we come in contact with. When we consciously notice whether our attitudes and words produce harmonious energy or the opposite, we begin to direct the quality of our daily life as well.
Why Am I Responsible for My Present Circumstances?
We suggest that you consider that we are what we have made ourselves through our past thoughts, words and actions. When we take responsibility for the circumstances we are in, we can begin to lead a more harmonious life and understand how we have drawn certain circumstances into our lives. The choice is ours as to the quality of our daily life, and therefore of our future.
There is a universal law of harmony known as karma. We both create causes and are part of a chain of interrelated causes. Effects necessarily follow causes; the two cannot be separated. Often an effect appears isolated and inexplicable because its cause is not visible. It is also common to think that our suffering stems from causes set in motion by others. But if we look at events from a wider angle, our view of the world changes greatly. Consider for a moment that a part of us is eternal, that it has lived countless lives, each with a new personality (body, emotional and mental faculties), and that the purpose of this journey is to discover and perfect our uniqueness within universal life.
Karma is neither destiny nor fate. It is a universal law of balance that corrects imbalance and explains the apparent inequalities in life. The working of this natural law leaves no room for such a thing as good or bad luck. Through our thoughts, words and actions we generate energy for which we are responsible.
Does Karma Explain the Happy and Difficult Situations in My Life?
Yes. In life, things do not always go well. There are times when everything goes well and we feel great joy, and times when we meet problems and suffering. When we begin to grasp how the law of cause and effect works, we understand that every situation we face is an opportunity to correct an earlier imbalance. Our attitude toward circumstances then becomes more important than the circumstances themselves. Whether we respond positively or negatively is our choice, and this choice determines the quality of our life. Our happy experiences are the result of our earlier positive actions and our attitude toward life; the reverse holds true in the same way.
When we see or hear of the misfortunes some people suffer, we wonder, "Why is this happening to them and not to me?" The explanation may lie in those people's personal and group karma. If we accept that each of us is responsible for the choices that make up our personal karma, we must also take into account that humanity has a national and a world karma. This suggests that people incarnate at the same time and in the same place in order to work out their earlier karma.
At the widest level, humanity as a whole is responsible for the causes it has set in motion over a very long time through individual and collective actions. These causes produce effects that can sometimes lead to suffering quite quickly. Each of us is obliged to help those in need as far as we can. This is the compassionate response that arises naturally when we grasp the unity of all life and understand what great happiness there is in giving. Karma is not fate; it is the inevitable and just result of previous causes. When enough people live in peace, peace will come to our world as well.
Can You Say a Little More About Reincarnation?
Reincarnation, together with the law of cause and effect, karma, offers us opportunities to make choices and for justice and balance to be restored in our lives. In the physical world, reincarnation is the means by which our intellectual and spiritual evolution takes place. The individual soul learns and strives through many incarnations by means of the vehicles we call the personality, and eventually reunites with the spiritual source of all things. The emptiness we sometimes feel is the expression of a longing for "something" deeper than the material world can offer.
It is suggested that in each life the soul calls into being a new brain and a new personality, with certain capacities developed in previous lives. When an accountant closes the books for one year and opens new ones, he does not carry over every item of the old year into the new ledger, only the balances. In a similar way, the soul transfers to the new brain the qualities, tendencies and capacities distilled from past life experience. The past explains the present, and the present influences the future. As we understand spiritual development better, we begin to see how we build our own future. As we advance toward the goal of human perfection, our lives become increasingly fulfilling. As we become wiser and more compassionate along the way, we can help more effectively not only humanity but all life on the planet.
If I Have Lived Before, Why Don't I Remember?
This question is often asked when reincarnation is mentioned. We agree that even in our present life we have forgotten far more than we remember. Do you remember learning to read? The fact that you can read proves that you learned. Can you remember every day of this life? Moreover, since our present brain and body had no part in our previous lives, how could we remember those events? Only the soul truly remembers. Even so, we may at times recall a past experience intuitively.
If we accept that the immortal, spiritual part of us continues to exist after physical death, we begin to understand that life is a continuous process. We tend to use the words life and death as if they were opposites; yet the opposite of death is not life but birth. The Ageless Wisdom teaches that life continues not only between birth and death but also in the period between death and rebirth.
From this point of view, death is an event repeated in countless lives, and it gives us the opportunity to learn who we really are. Death is a passage in which the completed life is reviewed and assimilated. With death, the soul no longer needs the physical, emotional and mental bodies it used as instruments of experience in the material world. Within ourselves we know that we are more than flesh and blood. Various teachings have always affirmed a soul that exists before birth and will continue to exist after death.
What Happens When We Die?
Death is not very different from sleep. When we fall asleep, consciousness temporarily withdraws from the body, but we go on having emotional and mental adventures, which we often remember when we wake. In our dreams we may reach heights that reveal realms of consciousness beyond what we experience while awake.
Consider that with physical death our consciousness sets out on a journey toward realms higher than those it enters in sleep. In the dream state our consciousness remains constantly connected with our physical body, and we can return to it; with death this link is broken. It is said that at death we pass into a world of light and experience ever-increasing freedom as consciousness is released, step by step, from the heavy vibrations of physical matter. A process of purification then takes place so that the soul can enter the deep and happy state of rest it has earned.
In recent times many personal accounts of near-death experiences (NDEs) have been recorded. People who have had an NDE speak of a sense of peace, a feeling of passing very rapidly through a dark tunnel, a review of the life they have lived, and moving toward, or entering, an all-embracing Light. This perception of light is in harmony with the inner teachings of all religions.
If we accept that we are all on a spiritual journey, and that each of us is an individual aspect of the one spiritual source to which we are returning step by step, does it not follow logically that this return cannot be accomplished in a single life, but requires many lives and many deaths? Each life is like the seasonal life of a plant, and each flowering renews the hope of ultimate perfection.
The physical journey over many lives offers the soul a variety of experiences to assimilate for its evolution. This suggests that the "heaven" that follows each life is our own creation. Each life brings us a little closer to the end of the journey. At that point the individual soul will have freed itself from the cycle of birth and death and will at last have become one with its divine source.
What Determines the Conditions of Rebirth?
The long period between two lives may be compared to the hours between two meals: a period of digestion and assimilation that is as necessary as the meal itself.
Birth involves a twofold mystery: first, the growth of the physical embryo; second, its union with the soul. The teachings point to the existence of spiritual intelligences who in some way guide the development of the new body and the working out of positive and negative karma from previous lives. Thus in the new incarnation the child is born into conditions in which it can experience the results of its past actions, and this serves the growth of the soul. Many parents are deeply aware of the responsibility they take on in helping a soul to take a new body. A loving and peaceful environment supports the child's physical and mental development and so also contributes to the growth of the soul.
It is also suggested that, within the working of the law of karma, we are born into a group of souls, most of whom we know from past lives, and that we may reincarnate together with those we have loved before. Likewise there are cases where relationships carried over from the past were not happy; then opportunities arise to transform these ties into bonds of love and understanding. Through successive rebirths we gain experience of life in many different races and environments, and gradually bring the whole of our divine potential into play.
Is There a Purpose in the Universe?
The ancient teachings have offered a vision of order that answers our longing to find a purpose in the universe:
- Life is not random and fragmented, but interconnected and purposeful.
- One life is evolving, and we human beings unfold our latent capacities step by step.
- These teachings set out a coherent account of the universe and its laws, and of the origin, evolution and destiny of humanity.
- The spiritual path reaches to heights beyond ordinary understanding; it shows the way to live in the present and to grow without limit.
Will I Become More Spiritual If I Develop Psychic Powers?
There is a great difference between psychism and spirituality. In essence we are all spiritual beings. In the course of our evolution we develop many powers; psychic powers (unusual faculties of perception such as telepathy and clairvoyance) are among them, and they emerge naturally as we progress. They should never be forced. If we become too preoccupied with psychic development, we may lose sight of the real goal of the human journey: the full realization of our spiritual potential in every field. As spiritual evolution proceeds, we become less absorbed in our own abilities and problems and more eager to use our many capacities for the good of all life.
Why Do People Meditate, and What Are the Benefits?
We live in a fast-moving world. We are bombarded with information, and amid the stress of modern life it becomes ever harder to find a quiet moment. We need to be able to touch that center of peace which exists within each of us. Going deep within is meditation. Meditation has always held a central place in the world's spiritual traditions. It helps us toward a calmer life and a clearer mind, toward the emergence of strength and wisdom in our lives, and above all toward a direct realization of the source of strength and peace that is already within us. In the silence of meditation we learn to still our body, our mind and our speech. We can find true peace and fulfillment only in inner silence, when the mind and the emotions are quiet. This is a personal journey.
What Is Theosophy?
The word Theosophy means "Divine Wisdom" and refers to the great truths realized by sages throughout the ages. In this article we have touched on some Theosophical ideas. Theosophy offers a world view that emphasizes the unity and interconnectedness of all life and the fundamental oneness of all peoples and species on earth. It is a philosophy to be understood, not accepted blindly. It is not a religion, but in a sense it may be seen as the essence of all religions. It is a way of life that encourages the discovery of deep truths through self-examination and personal responsibility. It illuminates the scriptures and teachings of all religions by revealing their hidden meanings, and it is an unceasing search for truth.
What Is the Theosophical Society?
The Theosophical Society is an international organization founded more than a century ago, in 1875. Today it has branches in nearly sixty countries. In Canada, where the original version of this article was prepared, the Society's headquarters are in Brampton, Ontario, and members meet in branches and study centers across the country. Members recognize one human family without distinction of sex, race or creed, and search for their own truth. Every religion can be seen as an expression of eternal truth, and the Theosophical Society encourages the study of religions, philosophies and sciences. The unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in humanity are also investigated.
What holds the members together is their acceptance of these objects and their determination to promote unity among all people. They believe that truth should not be imposed as dogma by authority but sought by the individual. It has been said that belief can rest only on knowledge and experience.
Must Members of the Theosophical Society Accept Particular Beliefs?
No. The Theosophical Society imposes no dogma, but it points to the source of unity beyond all differences. The phrase "different but together" describes the members' attitude well. Whatever their race, religion or belief, all members are invited to take part equally in the life and work of the Society. Members aim at devotion to truth, love and compassion for all living beings, and a life full of service. In an official statement, the Theosophical Society guarantees every member's freedom of thought. No one has to give up their own beliefs on joining the Society, and no teaching is binding in any way. Members are encouraged to exercise their freedom of thought and expression within the bounds of courtesy and respect for others.
Are There Basic Principles of the Theosophical Teachings?
The tradition of the Ageless Wisdom rests on certain fundamental propositions. The universe and everything in it is an interrelated and interdependent whole. Everything, from the atom to the galaxy, rests on the same universal reality that creates life. This reality shows itself in the purposeful, cyclic and orderly processes of nature. Each of us is advancing along our own unique path in an ever-expanding journey of consciousness, to complete the journey of return to the source of our being.
Understanding the principles of Theosophy can help us:
- To be less attached to the many wants of the material world (such as money, possessions, power and status), while accepting that certain material needs must be met.
- To take more responsibility for our thoughts, words and actions.
- To be more tolerant of others by understanding how the law of harmony works in our own lives.
- To reach a deeper fulfillment instead of the passing happiness we feel when our desires are satisfied.
- To become calmer and more thoughtful.
- To look at life anew, with fresh eyes and from a wider perspective, as we explore it in the light of the timeless wisdom teachings and begin to realize our own truth.
