The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-09-13
CONTINUED FROM LAST sun


lated Karma, showing itself as chractcr.
or tendencies. and subject TO modifica-
| ton, and, Collective Karma. or the
Karma of a group Of persons.
Also Karma now In the making. which
| may be said to be studied in the whole
Of this article and need not be especially
noticed.
We will FIRST consider ripe Karma. Out
of all the Karma OF the past there is a
certain unit that can be exhausted with
| in the limits Of a single life and some
kinds that could not be. requiring diff.
ferent types Of body for expression
There are liabilities contracted toward
other souls, and all these souls may not
] be in incarnation at the same time.
There is Karma that must be worked
out in a particular nation or social pO-
sition. Part. therefore, OF the total
Karma can be worked out in given
life and the soul is guided to incarnate
| In a family. nation, body, suitable for
the exhaustion OF the aggregate causes
which can be worked out together. These
causes fix the length Of the life. give 10
the body its characteristics. its powers
and Misunderstanding the man into
contact with souls incarnated to whom
he has contracted obligation. mark out
the social condition with its advantages
and disadvantages. select the mental
energies he can show forth by mOldinC
/ the brain and nervous system with which
he has to work. put together all condi-
tions that can be brought into a single
| life.
A kind II ripe Rarma Of very great
importance is that OF inevitable actions.
Va know that every action is the finaI
outcome Of a series OF thoughts. You
may add thought after thought Of the
same kind until finally the thought eN-
presses itself in action. II We persis-
tently relterate thoughts Of revenge for
instance, We at last reach a point where
action is inevitable and crime NAV re-
suit Or We may persistentIy think Of
helping some one and when the Oppor-
tunity occurs We do some heroic act.
One may bring over from the previous
life Rarma OF this nature and his voll-
ton will be to an act corresponding TO
the impulse The opportunity occurring
he does not stop TO think-he is as II
were. poised on a point and the slightest
influence sends him over Under such
conditions he will commit crime or a
benevolent act and wonder why he did
il. He admits he did il without think
ing" unaware that previous thought had
cultivated a tendency that made the act
inevitable When one has willed many
times 10 perform an act. action will be
inevitable when the opportunity occurs
Freedom OF choice remains so lonE as
A person thinks. His reason may teach
him that action would be evil. but il he
fails to listen TO reason and permits him
self to he overborne by desire the power
OF choice is exhausted and the slightest
stimulus leads to action. Did 4 ever oc-
cur TO you thst the problem Of necessity
and free will may be solved by the snaly-
sis Of the habits We form. BY the eNer-
else OF free will YOU continually create
necessity. You make habits by the con-
slant repetition Of action guided by will
and desire. Your habit becomes a llm!-
tation and the action is performed auto
matically. We may conclude the habit
is a bad one and then We reverse the
action and begin to unmake. form a new
thouEht-current and regain our free
dom. Old thoughts may persist and limit
us-showinC as prejudiCes. The large
majority do not know that they are THIS
limited and are ignorant 81 their chains
One cannot suddenly transcend his limi-
tations. his brain and nervous system
being such as he has made inevitable by
riously to overcome.
Accumulated Karma shows itself as
character and is subject to mobilization.
II consists OF tendencies. strong or weak.
according 20 the thought force that en-
cendered them. which can Be further
strengthened or weakened bv fresh
streams Of thought force sent to work
with or against them. II We ind in
ourselves tendencies We do not like We
can 90 TO work to eliminate them. often
We fail to Withstand a temptation over
borne by desire but the longer We huld
out against IL. even though We fal. thu
nearer We are TO overcoming. Tile re-
sistance wears away part Of the energy
and there Is less inclination towards evil
thought or act in the future.
Collective Karma. or that Of a group
Of persons. Is the resultant OF the in
teracting forces # the individuals COM
train. Those who have in their aC-
Cumulated karna the debt Of a life
cut short. may be allow ed to drift. as
Il were. into this accident and pay that
debt. another intending TO go by that
train, but with no such debt in his past
is saved BY being late or by some un-
foreseen obstacle So Will one suffer
because Of the collective karma % a
nation. See how the people Of the
nations Of Europe are sufer!ng-the indi-
viduals comprising the nations being
Drawn 10 them that they may play Their
part in the great tragedy and have their
opportunity to pay debts Of the past
There is one principle we must grasp.
and it is that Cause-and effect rule N the
moral as we'll as on the physical D!ane.
The laws OF nature draw no line between
important things and he insignificant.
the earth's attraction operates on the
drop OF water as we'll as or the rock. a
man is withheld from committing a crime
Ly the influences that have been poured
into his mind by his education by reading
and reflection. The minor acts and alb
stinences OF his life are in just the same
way the product of moral causes WORKING
IN his interior consciousness. Time and
change are conducive 10 the advance OF
knowledge. II Smith is destined 20 reach
a condition OF consciousness intelli-
gence-to understand any given mystery.
surely Jones will accomplish the same re-
suit, and others have preceded Smith and
Jones in attainment
Free will and necessity. How hard to
comprehend and wha: a subject il has
been for argument-for differences OF
opinion not only to the metaphysician. but
the theologian, and II seems necessary
that we should endeavcr 20 understand II.
that there may he no misleading conCep-
tons Of the teaching of Theosophy as TO
the law OF Karma that every human be-
ing holds the control o! his future in his
own hands, however closely ne may ap-
pear to be bound down by the narrow
limitations OF circumstances.
Our acts al each moment are the pro-
duct Of predetermining influences. Each
act is surrounded by an interior atmos-
phere Of consciousness. The thought
consciousness-may follow and empha-
size the act or hang back and. in a meas
ure, resist it, This consciousness
product Of the voice OF conscience or
the higher self-may be regarded as en-
tirely without the control OF the free