The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1898-03-12
THE LAW OF KARMA.
VIEW OF A DISCIPLE OF THEoS-
OPHY.
This Is the New Religion That IL Real
Iy Old-Liyed Up to 1t Would, Like
All Others, Transform Earth Into a
Heaven.

= rs PiOJSS1SAs OAS SAo N~' |
is recognized, we begin to see the phil
underlying that homely adage,
Curses, like chickens, come home to
For 1900 years we in the west
ern world have heard, "As a man sows,
so shall he reap" yet while glibly re-
citing this, we SOW Canada thistles and
then rail at fate because we do not
reap California peaches. Why? Sim
ply because the philosophy underlying
this is not understood. We fail to
see in man the master of the cause
but the slave of the effect. Nature is
conquered by obedience to its laws.
Help Nature and work on with her,
and Nature will regard thee as one of
her creatures and will make obei-
sance," says the Voice of Silence.
Karma, then, is the law which ad-
justs effects to causes on all planes. 1t
is the ultimate law of the universe. In
connection with the law of rebirths--
reincarnation-it explains the prob
lens which now are vexing us. 1t tx
plains the unequal distribution Of cap
ital and labor; the distinction Of class
in society, of sex in the affairs of life;
the apparent injustice of birth-one
man born in a howell, another in a
palace; one an imbecile, another with
a vigorous, healthy intellect; one
reaching the age of fourscore and ten
in peace and plenty, the other cut off
In his prime by a violent or "acciden-
tall death. All that is due to Kar-
ma, either racial, national or individ-
ual. Man in his efforts toward the ex-
pansion of self-consciousness throws
himself out of harmony with cosmic
law, the result of the discord being
what we call pain and suffering. So
he learns that law has been disregard
ed, and the ultimate result is obedi-
ence to law, the tendency ever being
to restore equilibrium.
The two doctrines which modern
Christianity lacks (but which Jesus
taught, are reincarnation and Karma,
the one depending IN the other. There
is no installing the words of Christ:
With what measure We mete it shall
be measured to you again." Another
passage teaching both doctrines is
found in Matthew ", rs, Verify l say
unto thee, thou shalt by no means
come out of thence till thou hast paid
the uttermost farthing," implying the
Karmic ties that draw the soul back
to rebirth. In Matthew XII, IA, the
statement is made clearly, IF we will
receive it, this is Elias, which was for
to come" a positive declaration that
Elias had incarnated in John the Bap-
fist. When the disciples asked why
it was said that Flies would come be-
fore the Messiah, His answer was:
ELIAS shall truly come first and re-
store all things, but l say unto you
that Elias is come already and they
knew it not"
When the doctrine of reincarnation
was stamped as a heresy at a general
council held by the early church after
the reign of mental and spiritual dark
ness had set in that of Karma went
also. with what measure we mete
it shall be measured to you again
gradually became a dead letter in the
church, the vicarious atonement
(wrongly interpreted) seeming to of
fer an escape; and so we have the vari-
GUS schemes to enable man to evade
the penalty of his own wrong-doing.
The doctrine of Karma-absolute JUS
tice-does not appeal to weak natures.
preferring to shift the responsibility OF
their misdeeds on to the shoulders OF
their Creator-an idea which appears
to theosophists little short of bias
phemy. y
Let us now take up the law of Kar.
ma and try if possible to see how i
works. Science now acknowledges
that thought precedes action, that M
action is possible without the though
or motive power behind it; therefore
thoughts are of the most Importance
Let us analyze this a little. Suppos'
we take a mind with no past activities
with nothing to hinder it's perfect free
dom Ian impossibility which some O
our scientific" psychologists assume.
Suppose such a mind to evolve
thought. This thought, repeated man,
times. becomes a habit of mind" s,
that it runs automatically into thi
| particular mold. Suppose the grow
ing mind now ~disapproves of this par
ticular form of thought Tor though
form')-finds it a hindrance. The will
; by repeated efforts can change thi
mental tendency and direct tn
I, thoughts into other cham els. Re
heated ~covetous desires will crystalliz
into thefts when the opportunit
comes. Thoughts directed towar
helping humanity will crystalline int
deeds of unexpected heroism. HOY
, often we hear it said: "If l had stoppe
to think l should not have done it.
The saturated mental solution needle
8 only the additional crystal to solidif
v into action. AS long as we have tn
power to stop and think" we hav
r not yet reached the danger line; W
are still master of the cause" Th
f liability to stop and think" on tn
other hand, shows hat we have BIZ
Y come the slave of the effect" Thu
we find that the mind FORCES the fette
and wears it, and that while wearin
it it can file through it by repeate
s efforts of the will. Here we have a
O instance of a small Karmic cycle.
a Further analysis reveals the fat
It that as repeated thoughts become ter
II denotes so painful experiences becom
~ onnCointt, anJ ounariann n ~ IN tho aU0r.