Changes

Student, laughing:  That’s more palpable.  Because there are some [[philosophies]] or teachings out there that say that we are creating everything that happens to us, whether it is [[Goodness|positive]] or [[negative]].  Like, let’s say, someone’s house burns down.  Well, somehow they created that [[experience]].  There’s some notion of [[Karma]], or just thinking negatively--always having a [[[Link title]][fear]] about that--that caused it.  Or someone wins the lottery, on the other extreme; they created that, somehow.  They were open to that.  Could you comment on that?

Student, laughing:  That’s more palpable.  Because there are some [[philosophies]] or teachings out there that say that we are creating everything that happens to us, whether it is [[Goodness|positive]] or [[negative]].  Like, let’s say, someone’s house burns down.  Well, somehow they created that [[experience]].  There’s some notion of [[Karma]], or just thinking negatively--always having a [[[Link title]][fear]] about that--that caused it.  Or someone wins the lottery, on the other extreme; they created that, somehow.  They were open to that.  Could you comment on that?

===='''''[[Subjectivity]]'''''====

===='''''[[Subjectivity]]'''''====

NEBADONIA:  Yes, my son, that seems to be a [[philosophy]] of [[pure]] [[subjectivity]], that your own [[inner life]] is solely responsible for everything that happens to you.  But from our [[standpoint]], that is literally denying the objective [[existence]] of a [[Universe of Universes|whole universe]] full of--even on your one world here--billions of [[personal]] beings who are interacting with you, let alone enormous natural [[forces]] of [[weather]] or [[geology]]--[[Catastrophism|hurricanes and earthquakes]] and such.  Even on the smallest scale, you can be a very good driver and still be blind-sided by someone who is totally out of control.

NEBADONIA:  Yes, my son, that seems to be a [[philosophy]] of [[pure]] [[subjectivity]], that your own [[inner life]] is solely responsible for everything that happens to you.  But from our [[standpoint]], that is literally denying the objective [[existence]] of a [[Universe of Universes|whole universe]] full of--even on your one world here--billions of [[personal]] beings who are interacting with you, let alone enormous natural [[forces]] of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather weather] or [[geology]]--[[Catastrophism|hurricanes and earthquakes]] and such.  Even on the smallest scale, you can be a very good driver and still be blind-sided by someone who is totally out of control.

   

   

[[Things]] happen to people.  From our point of view, it’s only a great pretense for a person to say they understand, or their [[philosophy]] comprehends, the total cause and effect in the physical, mental, and spiritual [[complexity]] of [[events]] surrounding a [[unique]] individual’s life interacting within his or her [[society]].  To us it’s a better part of [[humility]], and much more accurate, to acknowledge this [[transcendent]] complexity of forces and personalities involved.  This is the basis for your humility, this [[perception]] of the enormous [[encompassing]] involved in your, and everyone else’s, life; and yet not fear it.  

[[Things]] happen to people.  From our point of view, it’s only a great pretense for a person to say they understand, or their [[philosophy]] comprehends, the total cause and effect in the physical, mental, and spiritual [[complexity]] of [[events]] surrounding a [[unique]] individual’s life interacting within his or her [[society]].  To us it’s a better part of [[humility]], and much more accurate, to acknowledge this [[transcendent]] complexity of forces and personalities involved.  This is the basis for your humility, this [[perception]] of the enormous [[encompassing]] involved in your, and everyone else’s, life; and yet not fear it.  

   

   

But it is a [[challenge]].  Something totally unforeseen and having no direct or even indirect cause on your own part can happen--say a terrible car [[accident]] that leaves you crippled.  That is a huge challenge that life has thrown at you.  The worst possible thing would be for someone to heap [[guilt]] upon you right in the middle of all this, saying you somehow deserved it; implying they could somehow know so thoroughly and totally why you brought it on yourself.  What a terrible pretense!  What human arrogance!  

But it is a [[challenge]].  Something totally unforeseen and having no direct or even indirect cause on your own part can happen--say a terrible car [[accident]] that leaves you crippled.  That is a huge challenge that life has thrown at you.  The worst possible thing would be for someone to heap [[guilt]] upon you right in the middle of all this, saying you somehow deserved it; implying they could somehow know so thoroughly and totally why you brought it on yourself.  What a terrible pretense!  What human arrogance!

 

===='''''[[Karma]]'''''====

===='''''[[Karma]]'''''====

Student:  Yes, it could lead to being afraid to think anything new, or step out the door.  Yet there seems to be whole countries whose [[social]] [[systems]] are based on that kind of [[thinking]], that phony kind of [[Karma]].  Everything that happens to people, they somehow deserved it, so if they’re born into some lower [[caste]], then that’s their due, and they always have to be that.  [[Imagine]] the [[Tyranny|oppressiveness]] of that.  It seems the notions of [[Karma]], or [[reincarnation]], or [[original sin]], are just man’s attempts to come to grips with their own sense of [[evil]]--why that happens to people.  It’s because of original sin, or something they did five lifetimes ago.  It just seems absurd.  It’s not taking into account what you mentioned about the real complexity of reality and how there’s something new and different in each event.

Student:  Yes, it could lead to being afraid to think anything new, or step out the door.  Yet there seems to be whole countries whose [[social]] [[systems]] are based on that kind of [[thinking]], that phony kind of [[Karma]].  Everything that happens to people, they somehow deserved it, so if they’re born into some lower [[caste]], then that’s their due, and they always have to be that.  [[Imagine]] the [[Tyranny|oppressiveness]] of that.  It seems the notions of [[Karma]], or [[reincarnation]], or [[original sin]], are just man’s attempts to come to grips with their own sense of [[evil]]--why that happens to people.  It’s because of original sin, or something they did five lifetimes ago.  It just seems absurd.  It’s not taking into account what you mentioned about the real complexity of reality and how there’s something new and different in each event.