Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-08


does q belief founded in error, in fea1
and trembling, in cowardice, in Unjust.
ice, evoke the keenest suffering, provoke
the saddest tortures, afford scope for the
play of cringing cravenness, and utterly
fail to sustain in the hour of greatest
need. That religion or philosophy
which fails to fit one for both life and
death, and to fortify one with tranquil.
lity alike in the storm and monotony
of life, and to possess one at death in
peace and sure reliance upon just law, is
blind and deceptive delusion, prohibit.
ing present happiness and wrecking
future hopes. No wonder men
fail longer to bow before this fragrant
fallacy and ayow loyalty no more to blind
belief in baseless creeds, dogmas and
cunning priestcraft. These have had
their day, and now sllnk back into
that dense darkness which first gave
them birth. In ignorance. man is a
craven coward, the slave Of superstition,
abiect and pitiful; enlightened, he is
masterfui, and wields power limited
only by capacity and determined will.
Theosophy enlightens man and en-
ables him to know himself as he is. and
teaches that given man as now consti-
tuted socially, financially. physically,
intellectually, morally and spiritually is
circumstanced as to condition, location
and environment solely by reason
of his own thought and action which, as
causes, we're generated either in the past
or present life; that his present state is
not only the direct effect of that past,
but that he is responsible, the conse.
quence of which he can in no wise evade.
In this sense he does inherit certain
truths, but inherits from himself, not
from parents or ancestors. A man was,
in his past lives, either good or bad (;
mentally. bright or dull; spiritually,
enlightened or unenlightened, or some
where between these extremes, and is
now as he was then. with slight varia-
ton of modification or accentuation
of good or evil tendencies then
inhering in him. Either he is
now a shade better or worse than
then. His past thoughts and actions
were causes which, having origin in him
self, naturally still vest in him az effects
which will sooner or later work out from
the same center, himself. If his past
was evil, the present continues to involve
greater complications of misery for him
self and those associated with him un-
less. he shall check and redirect them.
If his past was good, the present repro
duces and accentuates past goodness. "A
man dies charged with all his habits,
traits and tendencies, and after an in
terim of rest again returns to earth (,
picks up dropped threads and further
weaves out his destiny. The ego, the
Thinker, is naturally drawn to parents
similar to itself, who are the open doors
through which it again returns to the
sphere which offers proper con-
ditions for continued development
of the possibilities inhering in
itself. By this law geniuses, musical
prodigies, successful financiers and other
pronounced characters may be accounted
for. The theory of heredity cannot ac-
tion does. The newly born child and
age. Present relations may have been
reversed in the past, and may be in the
future. One earth-life is but one day
in the great journey of life on this
planet, just as one ordinary day is a Pc
riod Of our life of so or so years. After
a day of activity, overtaken by exhaus-
plans and work for sleep. In the morn
lily We aWHk0 Auu IOouluC Ul0 uuCOlA-
pleted tasks of yesterday. Exactly 80
in the larger life. Periods of activity
and inactivity succeed one another. 1t
is an universal law. There is an abso-
lutte method in the succession of events.
At death the cycle of activity closes
and rest ensues, after which we again
awake and resume the interrupted work
of yesterday, or the last past life. The
proofs OF incarnation are found in the
analogies of nature on every side. Man
is not an exception to the universal law
of cycles, but conforms to it.
The knowledge OF the law OF
Karma and reincarnation places cause
and effect, as relating to human beings,
where they belong; fixes responsibility
upon the individual, and makes him
amenable to the law. If he violates it,
he suffers; if he obeys, he enjoys. The
operation of the law of Karma restores
harmony and adjusts the individual to
the true course along which alone pos
sibility of true progress is afforded.
With clear conceptions of individual
responsibility for present conditions as
effects of ones own past actions. and
realization that acts of the present life
determine his future, man may elevate
thought, motive and action, land make his
future what he desires it to be. 1t is
the province of Theosophv to hold up
the light of true knowledge and thus
enable man to stand face to face with
the realities of life, rather than be DOM
mated by ignorance, prejudice, or short
sighted egotism. It is desired to show
the unreasonableness that man is iusti-
fed in blaming angels, men, gods or
devils for his own condition, or can hope
to escape consequences of his own acts
by skulking or having another suffer for
him. The clear conception of Karma
and reincarnation eliminates the factor
of cowardice from human action, and
arms man with strength and fortitude
under all circumstances. He perceives
the law to be kind, merciful and
lust always, and he desires to
know. and conform to its behests.
Many people seem to act upon the prin-
ciple that good and pure motives will
enable them to attain progress and hap
piness. That motive alone will, some
how, carry them through life and land
them in glory at last. That is believed
to be fallacy, the pabulum of weak,
unwise and sentimental minds, and that
it is q commonplace error, unwarranted by
reason and ordinary sense. Those who
attempt to live according to 1t are con.
stantly involved in trouble and con-
| fusion, and when thus overtsken blame
some one or something else beside
themselves, and beseech some outsidef
power to save them from consequences