Quest Magazine

Printed in the Fall 2012 issue of Quest magazine. 
Citation: Kezwer, Glen "The Bhagavad Gita: Action and Meditation" Quest  100. 4 (Fall 2012): pg. 143-146.

By Glen Kezwer

Just as a mountain of ice melts and becomes water, so the mind will melt into the subtlest aspect of thinking through meditation. It will become so superfine that it will permeate the whole universe. At that time it will not be called mind; rather it will be known as the Self.

—Swami Shyam

Although the exact age of the Hindu sacred text known as the Bhagavad Gita is uncertain, it dates back at least 2000 years. While the world has changed dramatically since the Gita was written, one constant remains in human affairs: the mind of a human being. Whatever a present-day person has to deal with, he or she does so with the thinking processes of his or her mind. The same was true of people living at the time of the creation of the Gita, and indeed of all people throughout the history of humankind. The enduring factor is the mind. How we live our lives and maneuver through the various parts of our day, and whether we are able to achieve happiness, success, and joy all depend on how and what we think. Here all the ups and downs of our existence are decided. Even our mental attitude towards physical pain and disease determines, to a certain extent at least, how much we suffer from these ailments. The fear of death too is ultimately rooted in our thought processes.

Can we ever be free from the vicissitudes of our thoughts? Consider this: we actually are totally free from our thoughts for approximately one-third of our life, namely when we are asleep. Very little importance is generally given to sleep as a state of absolute freedom. Although in this state our entire physical and mental apparatus is still intact, we experience no pain or suffering, and for that matter no joy or happiness. Thus we as human beings do have the innate ability to enter a state of complete rest and peace. Of course I am not advocating that we simply sleep our lives away. Rather I am indicating that there is another state of mind which, like sleep, is free of all troubles, worries, fears, and tensions, but at the same time is more than sleep in that it is a state of freedom plus total awareness. This state is meditation.

The Gita's teachings essentially deal with how to handle our minds to achieve the maximum success, happiness, and spiritual fulfillment in our lives. This can be done through various means, which include the paths of knowledge, action, devotion, and meditation. Which path a particular person follows depends on his or her personal inclinations, nature, and proclivities. In fact, many people pursue a combination of paths rather than restricting themselves to one specific technique. In the present article, I am going to focus on meditation, both because I have personally practiced it for more than three decades and because its use is widespread.

 The Backdrop for the Teachings 

To reflect the fact that all persons must act throughout every day, the story of the Gita unfolds upon a stage of the most extreme action: a battlefield during a time of impending war between two opposing clans, the Pandavs and the Kauravs. The two characters involved are Krishna and Arjun. Arjun, the commander-in-chief of the Pandav army, decides to take one last look at the enemy ranks before leading his troops into combat. According to the Gita, 3,936,600 soldiers—1,593,900 in the Pandav army and 2,405,700 on the Kaurav side—fight at the great battle of Kurukshetra, the backdrop for its teachings. Along with this staggering number of soldiers (approximately equivalent to the entire population of Oregon marching onto the battlefield) are 393,600 elephants, an equal number of chariots, and 1,180,980 horses. And if this isn't enough, the air at the battlefield is rent with the horrific sounds of countless conches and bugles, accompanied by the war cries emerging from millions of angry throats.

To his utter dismay, Arjun discovers that he is going to engage an army filled with many of his nearest and dearest friends, companions, relatives, and mentors. Many of his kith and kin and highly respected teachers have taken up arms against him, and Arjun realizes that in order to win the war he will have to slay or be responsible for the deaths of countless men who are central to his life. The idea of killing them is abhorrent to him. Yet at the same time he is certain that the cause for which he is fighting is just in every moral and ethical sense, and he knows that it is his sworn duty as a soldier and leader of men to pursue the fight until victory is achieved.

Caught on the horns of this dilemma, Arjun is distraught. He has no ability within himself to find a way out of his predicament, and instead of wielding his mighty bow and leading the charge, he collapses weakly in the back of his chariot. Uttering the words, "I will not fight," he turns to his charioteer, Krishna, and begs for guidance. Now Krishna is more than just a part-time charioteer. He is also a fully enlightened being whose wisdom and consciousness are supreme and all-encompassing. Clearly Arjun has turned to the right person for help. Up to this point, the Gita has taken fifty-six verses to set the stage and pose Arjun's question to Krishna. The remaining 644 verses comprise Krishna's answer. 

The Immortal Self 

Surrounded by the tumult of war, Arjun has sought Krishna's counsel. With life and death hanging in the balance, Krishna describes—among other things—the technique of meditation. He talks to Arjun about sitting quietly in a clean spot on a seat which is neither too high nor too low and is covered with grass as an insulating material. Holding his body and head erect, Krishna tells Arjun, he should close his eyes and focus on the center of the space that appears in his field of perception.

Would such instruction not have been more appropriate for a living room, a temple, or—perhaps anachronistically—a yoga retreat? Is a battle to the death a time to talk about a process of sitting still, closing one's eyes, and perceiving the inner stillness? Yet here is Krishna, under these dire circumstances, telling Arjun about the benefits of meditation. He certainly is not directing Arjun to go and find a grass mat, sit on it, and close his eyes at that particular moment in time. But he is emphasizing the importance of meditation in preparing one's mind to handle all of life's predicaments. Most of us seldom, if ever, are required to act in such severe circumstances as those encountered in a war. The fact that the Gita is set on a battlefield indicates that the teachings it gives are of the utmost importance. In the midst of a war the consequences of Arjun's actions are crucial. They can mean survival or extinction for his side.

To me this is an emphatic statement of the importance the Bhagavad Gita places on meditation, not just for the purposes of relaxation or attaining peace of mind, but for dealing with all of life's contingencies. Krishna wants Arjun to understand that his own inner being or Self and the Self of one and all are beyond birth and death and can neither kill nor be killed. This knowledge will free him from doubt and inaction, and allow him to act effectively in the world in all situations.

Chapter six of the Gita, alternately entitled in Sanskrit "Dhyan Yoga" ("The Yoga of Meditation") or "Atma Sanyam Yoga" ("The Yoga of Complete Concentration on the Self"), presents both the theory and the practical aspects of meditation.

The message of the Gita is that all human beings have within themselves the power to live life and perform actions in the light of the highest knowledge. Simply put, this knowledge is that the source or underlying reality of every being is one and the same Brahm (absolute existence), Self, or Atma, which is beyond birth and death and cannot be destroyed. A person who lives in a manner that is consistent with this wisdom is able to live happily and effectively and have a peaceful mind, free from worry and tension. The Gita's teachings are not restricted to one period of time, a particular culture or group of people, or a certain geographical location. They are for everyone, everywhere, at all times.

At first glance it may sound easy to live a life of happiness, but in actual fact it is not. As human beings, we are subject to the whims and fancies of our minds, which can—and usually do—take us on a roller-coaster ride from morning to night. We live each day in an environment of constant action, endlessly doing things which involve us throughout our waking hours. Of course, this is simply called life. But to pursue life to its fullest, with a sense of joy, satisfaction, and balance as well as compassion for those around us takes effort and a special type of understanding. The Gita provides just that.

First and foremost, Arjun must act: "Every human being is helplessly driven by the force of nature to perform some kind of action, for without acting man cannot live even for a moment." (Bhagavad Gita, 3:5).

In order to act decisively and successfully, Arjun needs to understand the fundamental nature of existence. Here Krishna starts with the most profound wisdom: The Self—the essence of each and every human being—is not subject to birth and death.  "Arjun, the Self, which pervades all beings in the universe, is an indestructible substance. No one has the power to destroy it"  (Bhagavad Gita, 2:17).

The Self is infinite, unchanging, eternal, unfathomable, and self-illuminating. It cannot be destroyed by even the mightiest of weapons, nor can it be burned by fire, made wet by water, or dried by the wind. It is not touched by the multitude of events that transpire in the world, but is rather like the space of the sky, which is vast and encompasses all, yet remains free. The Self is the inner essence of, and one and the same in all human beings, including the soldiers on both sides of the battle. Ultimately this Self is ineffable. Words can only point our thinking in the direction of a true understanding of the Self, but can never take us fully there. To proceed further we need meditation.

The mind is the vehicle that blocks our access to higher knowledge, yet at the same time it can be transformed to bring us to that knowledge. If we grant the mind and its thoughts too much importance, then we are subject to the ups and downs, happiness and suffering, worry and easiness that they produce. But if we can change our perspective and observe the mind, or somehow step back from it, then we can better understand its functioning. This allows us to ultimately become the master of the mind rather than remaining a victim to its whims.

Arjun realizes that he needs a still, tranquil, even mind in order to think clearly and see the way out of his current dilemma, but he also knows that the mind is "turbulent, powerful and obstinate" and "as difficult to control as the wind." What chance does a person with such a mind have of attaining success in meditation? In answer to this, Krishna reassures Arjun, telling him that, despite the mind's tenacity, it can be made as steady as a candle flame in a windless place that does not flicker even slightly.

Krishna advises Arjun, and thereby all of humanity, to achieve stillness of mind by practicing the proper technique of meditation: Sit in a clean, comfortable place, close your eyes, focus your attention and begin to perceive what happens. You will notice, he tells Arjun, that thoughts will come and go in the mind. There is nothing wrong with this. Meditation does not mean stopping the thoughts or forcibly trying to control the mind. It means observing the thoughts without becoming involved in them, just as you would listen to children playing in a nearby schoolyard, hearing them but not being disturbed by their chatter. You should put your attention on the Knower or Seer of the thoughts, which is at all times free and uninvolved. Stillness or tranquility means identifying with this Knower who is observing these thoughts. Then, whether they appear or not, you are not bound by them. The Knower is the indestructible Self, your inner being. By fixing your attention on the source, your consciousness becomes infinitely vast, encompassing all that there is. Then you will know the Self by the power of the Self, content in the existence of the Self alone.

As you meditate, you will perceive an inner space behind your closed eyelids. This space is the source from which the waves of the mind emanate. It is neither form nor formlessness; it is indivisible, absolute Brahm. Watch the Knower-space and remain alert throughout your meditation. Sometimes the mind will wander and your concentration will wane. Because of this, it is helpful to use a mantra to focus the mind. If you find that at some point you have lost focus of the mantra, this is not a problem. Simply return your attention to it and continue watching the inner space, knowing at all times that that space is you, your own true nature.

What happens to the yogi in meditation is poetically and beautifully described in verse 6:25 (my rendition):

The meditator should meditate with full faith in his practice and observe with alertness as peace and tranquility gradually settle in his being. He should know that his consciousness has become established in the Self through the power of that very same Self alone. All division will dissolve as he realizes that his thought power and perception are faculties of the field of Pure Consciousness. Nothing else exists but That [Self].

With a peaceful mind, you can solve problems more effectively. Your vision is not clouded. You can watch your thoughts more dispassionately. The practice of meditation leads to the highest bliss, the state of endless happiness. Your mind attains a state of serenity, stillness, and oneness which rests in the Self, knowing that the Self is perceiving itself by its own power. Even the deepest of sorrows do not touch you. Enjoying this state of inner stillness, you able to act skillfully and effectively in the world, knowing all the time that the Self is present in all beings and all beings exist in the Self.

Unless otherwise noted, quotations from the Bhagavad Gita are taken from Swami Shyam, Bhagavad Gita, International Meditation Center, 1985.

Glen Kezwer is the teacher of "The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita." a course on the educational Web site www.transformationmeditation.com, as well as the auhor of the book Meditation, Oneness, and Physics. He has practiced, written on, and taught meditation since the early 1980s. He can be contacted at  gkezwer@gmail.com.

Printed in the Fall 2012 issue of Quest magazine. 
Citation: Kuntzelman, Emanuel "Healing the Karmic Field " Quest  100. 4 (Fall 2012): pg. 139-142.

By Emanuel Kuntzelman 

"Well, it must have been my karma." How many times have you heard someone say that lately—usually with a tone of resignation? Such statements are becoming more common, even among those who are skeptical about Eastern philosophy. The reason is that the law of cause and effect makes sense and is deeply entrenched in our cultural upbringing, no matter where we live. Things happen that cause effects. It is simple, linear logic.

Karma is a Sanskrit word that means "action." In the deepest and most complete sense, this includes thoughts, words, and intentions, all of which produce effects that create karma. We know this is true in our everyday acts. If we smile at someone, we are likely to get a smile in return, whereas if we shout angrily it is not surprising if we get a similar sort of response. All of this action, whether mental or physical, accumulates as a field that influences the probabilities of future action that we might receive. This web of life—the karmic field—provides the moral fabric behind what otherwise might seem to be the unfair and irrational circumstances of our existence.

The concept of karma, by whatever name, is prevalent in most of the world's religions and philosophies. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is sound advice and provides excellent moral guidance. It makes us feel responsible for our actions, providing a sense of long-term justice and meaning to our lives. As such, it is a sacred principle.

Be that as it may, I would like to suggest that a large portion of supposedly negative karma is either a figment of our imagination or something that could be eliminated by implementing some emotional intelligence. There are two basic kinds of karma: collective and individual. With the collective aspect, many of the karmic consequences that happen to us could be avoided by disassociating ourselves from the groups we feel overly attached to. On the individual level, we could serve ourselves well by dropping the grievances we feel towards others and sending out compassion to those we have offended. By paring down our attachment to group karma and cleaning up our individual karma, we can bring the emotional baggage of our lives into better balance, creating effects that will be the new causes to help heal the overall state of the karmic field and accelerate personal and social transformation.

Before analyzing how we can make this rather large leap in our thinking, however, a brief discussion of reincarnation seems appropriate, as it is a necessary adjunct for long-term karma to work. To begin with, it is helpful to understand that reincarnation is not strictly a theory of the Eastern mystical traditions. Plato and Socrates both made strong arguments to support the transmigration of souls, and the idea has continued to resurface in Western thought up to this day.

Beyond the history of belief systems, there is the actual evidence that has been compiled to support reincarnation as a fact. The late Dr. Ian Stevenson, a leading scientist in reincarnation research and Carlson Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia Medical School, compiled over 2000 convincing cases of possible reincarnation throughout the world, and his colleague Jim Tucker continues with those investigations today. Although it is beyond the scope of this article, their research presents evidence to convince even the most ardent skeptics about the case for reincarnation.

Working through multiple lives, karma provides a basis for the continuing evolution of the soul and a moral basis for society. But as we evolve toward a higher state of consciousness as a species, it behooves us to use this theory wisely and not let it become an excuse for failing to overcome some of the habits and cultural conflicts that hold us back in our personal and social evolution. Let's take a closer look at how we might work on healing the karmic field, beginning with the collective component.

We are born with a gender, a race, and an ethnic background, and we belong to a long list of groups that heavily influence how we perceive ourselves. These collectivities establish the cultural context for how people react to us and how we in turn respond to them, and they form a significant part of the energy field out of which our soul evolves. The challenge is to break out of this collective karma whenever it consists of self-imposed, stereotypical grievances.

The history of civilization has been, to a large degree, the history of war, crime, and humans' cruelty toward each other. Thus we have all probably been subjected to some amount of violence, whether physical or psychological, in this life or a previous one, and therefore we have some reason to hold a grudge because of some misdeed in the past. As such, we might assume that there is a huge negative balance of karma weighing on the world, and in these times of crisis it often feels that way. It is important to understand, however, that karma by nature has to balance itself out. Karma works in a similar way to the law of physics, which says for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Great reservoirs of unbalanced karma are not stored for long periods of time. We only do that in our minds, often thinking the world owes us something. But nature always brings us back to equilibrium. If that is the case, then we must have mentally created a great store of negative karma that does not necessarily exist beyond our imaginations.

It could well be that in a previous life we belonged to one of the groups that we now see as the enemies of our well-being in this incarnation, which is a good reason why we should not identify so strongly with the groups we find ourselves a part of now. As long as we carry a sense of entitlement for the wrongs that have been done to the groups we are part of, there will never be peace and understanding on earth, because we are creating a karmic debt that does not necessarily apply to us as individuals. Therefore we could clear the air of nonexistent negative karma by dropping the strong identifications we might have with our gender, race, country, culture, or religion. This is not to say that we should become apathetic or forget our work for just social causes, but rather that we should choose our causes with great care, avoiding involvement with any fanatical activity simply because we are socially and culturally immersed in a given group. Our chosen collective karma needs to expand, taking on causes that represent the whole of humanity and embracing its diversity. There are still plenty of issues to be passionate about on the global scale, like caring for the earth and promoting world peace.

If we can move beyond the unnecessary affiliation with some of the negative group karma that socialization processes normally instill in us, is it also possible to reevaluate our personal history and release ourselves from some aspects of our individual karma? Common sense, as well as the Buddhist concept of dependent origination, would argue against such an idea. If there is to be moral justice involved with karma, then it follows that we cannot exonerate ourselves from it by merely thinking, or wishing, that it no longer applies to us. If at some point in the past we have done someone a serious disservice, we deserve to pay for it in the future. We must remember, however, that retribution, whether as punishment or reward, is relative to how it was created and evolves within the  karmic field. Not all debts have to be paid back with an "eye for an eye" compensation. Perhaps an analysis of our power to create reality and how our feelings and intentions impact the quality of the field will help us understand that individual karma is not as fixed and retributive as we think it is.

Quantum physics shows that on a fundamental level we have the power to create our own reality. The subatomic components of the universe can be either waves or particles. It all depends on what a physicist in a laboratory wants to find. If the intent is to measure a wave moving with velocity, that is what we get. On the other hand, if we seek to locate a particle at a set point in space, that will be the result. Such is the power of this finding that it has been argued that our consciousness determines the nature of reality by setting intentions and "causing" them to happen.

The way we look at things and the intention we put into our actions certainly do influence the effects we produce. With positive actions, we assume that if we make an act of charity, kindness, or love it will someday be returned to us. The question is, will it always be reciprocated with an equal amount of positive effect? Studies on remote healing, for example, have shown that its effects can vary widely. In her book The Intention Experiment, Lynne McTaggart presents research demonstrating that healers are significantly more effective if they are not attached to the outcome of their efforts. In a similar vein, it stands to reason that any act of giving is more meaningful when it is done unconditionally, rather than with an expectation of receiving something in return. If we tell our significant others that we "love" them simply because we want them to acquiesce to a favor we are going to ask, then our statement of love is highly conditioned and diluted. On the other hand, if our words of love are genuine, the emotional energy that the other receives will be more powerful and more likely to produce a positive countereffect in the future.

Thus the karmic field established by our positive actions partially depends on the state of mind in which those actions are produced. As a field phenomenon, karma is not linear, but rather systemic and holistic, taking in all the attributes of an action. The probability that a karmic consequence will arise is directly related to the intention and feeling involved with the original action.

This is also applicable to negative actions. Even our criminal justice system differentiates according to the intention of an action. To take a hypothetical example, if an automobile strikes and injures a pedestrian, the punishment will obviously vary depending on whether it was an accident, a deliberate act, or, perhaps, something in between. Again the critical part of the field effect for retribution is closely linked with the intention involved with the act.

Given this discussion of our power to create reality and the relativity of intentions, to what extent can we improve or heal our individual karma? Let's first look at what can be done to ameliorate our feelings about the retribution that we assume is owed to us.

Peace activist and author Masami Saionji contributed a chapter entitled "How You Can Invite Happiness" to Ervin Laszlo's book You Can Change the World in which she describes how we can gain insight on influencing our feelings and relationships. She discusses cause and effect, and essentially speaks about karma, although she never specifically mentions the word. Saionji goes back to the old adage: what came first, the chicken or the egg? Which one is the cause and which the effect, and does it really matter? We normally assume that our emotional states have been "caused" by some previous event, and so we are not responsible for them. For example: today I'm feeling a little down. What was the cause of that? Well, I was thinking maybe it's because I don't like my job. The cause of that? I took a job that wasn't the best because I didn't have a great educational background. And that is because I didn't study very hard in high school because I was too busy taking care of my younger siblings because my parents were too busy—because, because, because.

When we start looking for the causes of how we are feeling, we may never get to the root of the problem, because the causes are endless and are interwoven into the complexity of the karmic field. Rather than desperately seeking the causes of the current effects we are feeling, let's turn it around and think of the idea that our effects create causes. Saionji suggests that instead of worrying about what caused the burdens in our current state of mind, we should create a new effect to carry us happily forward, such as: "I'm emanating peace and love."

This effect will create a cause: sending out peace and love will make people around us feel better, which will in turn cause a ripple effect to others throughout society, helping them feel more positive. With this simple flip-flop of the karmic process, we have liberated ourselves from looking backwards and trying to analyze a past we cannot change. We are freed to say, "I can create my own reality with a new effect." Rather than dwelling on what might have happened in the remote past to cause our current emotional state, we concentrate on creating a positive emotion in the present that will set off a new chain of positive effects into the future.

It seems clear that this exercise in reprogramming our emotional intelligence can liberate us from carrying karmic baggage about retribution that we might have thought was owed to us. We no longer feel like victims in this scenario, but what about those people who were the victims of our past negative actions? If it were that easy to clean up our karma, then common criminals could commit all the egregious acts they want, have no guilty conscience about doing so, and move on into a self-constructed happiness. Obviously the process is more complicated. To truly change our individual karma, we should undertake these four steps: recognition, forgiveness of self, projecting compassion to the recipient, and expressing gratitude to the universe.

Let's take an example. Suppose we called a friend a bad name in a heated argument. Presumably this will come back to us someday in the form of someone unjustly referring to us with a nasty name. However, if we sincerely recognize that we did this thing and that our friend did not deserve it, then we have begun to clear the air. Next we should forgive ourselves for having done this. Our culture with its moral code has conditioned us to believe that we should feel guilty about our bad actions. This is all right up to a point, but there comes a time when we should realize that it really doesn't do any good to walk around feeling terrible about the things we have done in the past. It doesn't help the recipient of our action and it doesn't help us, as we just feel remorseful and miserable. So we have to forgive ourselves, admitting that we goofed up, and move on. Step three—and this is what truly separates us from the common criminal with no conscience—is to project compassion towards the recipient of our act. This should be done in all sincerity, preferably in a state of focused meditation, emanating compassion with all our heart. If it is possible to locate the person we have offended in the past, then we should obviously do so and make our retributions directly, with an apology and a good hug. Clearing the air with friends and family members of the victims of our inappropriate past actions is also recommended. Finally, we should express gratitude to the universe for the fact that our consciousness has the power to forgive us and reconstruct reality.

When this process is complete, will we have succeeded in alleviating part of the harm we have done to the recipients of our past actions—especially if the victim is someone we cannot readily find or identify? If we view the karmic field from a holistic perspective rather than as a direct linear and reciprocal relationship, we begin to comprehend how it could be so. The positive energy we put back into the field does create an effect, which causes an improvement in the overall energy level of the field. Besides, if we have already made a concerted effort to forgive others for any karmic debt they might have with us, the natural law of balance will improve our karma. Although the individuals that we have offended in the distant past or a previous life will obviously not receive a direct apology, the subconscious well-being of their souls should benefit from our acts of compassion. And the stronger our belief in the effect we are creating with positive intentions, the more likely we are to improve our karma and restore balance in the karmic field.

In conclusion, our psychospiritual and emotional states play an important role in establishing karma. Carrying self-imposed burdens of group karma and individual remorse for past actions only perpetuates the chain effect of negative karma. By extricating ourselves from excessive collective identity, freeing our minds of guilt, and consciously contributing compassion to the universe, we liberate ourselves from karmic burdens and clean up the field in the process. We can produce a new effect of joy, compassion, and gratitude, the cause of which is simply our conscious effort to emotionally heal ourselves and the state of the field. In the process we have caused something quite beautiful to happen. The karmic field, the web of life that holds the history of all thoughts, acts, and intentions, is now a bit more balanced, vital, and healthy. What used to be our karma has become the creative potential for personal and social transformation.

Emanuel Kuntzelman is the founder and president of the Center for Cultural Interchange in Chicago and the Foundation for the Future in Madrid, Spain. Both organizations support the worldwide Greenheart movement and are dedicated to promoting cultural exchange, fair trade, environmental awareness, and world peace. He gives lectures and workshops and organizes retreats in conjunction with Greenheart Transforms and can be reached at www.emanuelkuntzelman.com.

Printed in the Fall 2012 issue of Quest magazine. 
Citation: Mills, Joy "Entangled Karma" Quest  100. 4 (Fall 2012): pg. 136-138.

By Joy Mills 

I am not a scientist, but science, particularly quantum physics, intrigues me. Recently I came upon a book entitled Entangled Minds by Dean Radin, a senior scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences in Petaluma, California, which advances the thesis that the concept of entanglement in quantum theory may explain psychic faculties and parapsychological phenomena. I have become sufficiently emboldened to suggest that this concept might well apply to a well-known and long accepted principle in numerous spiritual traditions—the law of karma.  Radin does point out early in his book that there are "two flavors of stupidity: Just Plain Stupid and Mentally Deficient." To avoid being categorized under one or other of those two "flavors," I propose to tread cautiously on some unexplored aspects of karma, raising more questions than I intend to answer in any definitive manner.

First, what is entanglement? It appears that the word was first used by the noted physicist Erwin Schradinger to describe the connection between separated particles that persists regardless of distance. Einstein's famous remark that entanglement is "spooky action at a distance" perhaps encapsulates the phenomenon best. Could it be that connections persist not only over great expanses of space, but also over vast periods of time?

It is recognized that the concept of reincarnation calls for an understanding of the manner by which past existences influence the present. The Buddhist doctrine of the skandhas (or "aggregates"), for example, provides an explanation of the way by which the characteristics or attributes of one personality persist over time and space to influence or constitute the personality of the succeeding life. Beyond the need to offer explanations of how past "lives" might account for present personality traits, tendencies, or capacities, there are other questions that entanglement raises if we dare to apply the idea to such metaphysical notions as karma and rebirth.

First, however, let us put those two ideas—karma and rebirth or reincarnation—into a larger context. These concepts become meaningful when we conceive of the universe as a single organism composed of a vast number of lesser organisms, all interconnected in an immense variety of grades of consciousness and development. The universe is itself undergoing a great evolutionary process, an evolution of consciousness. This process is progressive, moving toward a desirable spiritual goal, which we might define as a "self-revelation (svabhavat) of the Absolute." The individual human entity is to be an active (that is, self-conscious) part of this process, and the best human life is one that promotes the evolution of the whole toward its ultimate goal. The process is, moreover, orderly, purposeful, and in the truest sense lawful. Therefore H.P. Blavatsky defines karma as "the Ultimate Law of the Universe, the source, origin and fount of all other laws which exist throughout Nature. Karma is the unerring law which adjusts effect to cause, on the physical, mental and spiritual planes of being. As no cause remains without its due effect from greatest to least, from a cosmic disturbance down to the movement of your hand, and as like produces like, Karma is that unseen and unknown law which adjusts wisely, intelligently and equitably each effect to its cause, tracing the latter back to its producer" (Blavatsky, Key to Theosophy, 121—22; emphasis here and in other quotes is in the original). Or as one of Blavatsky"s adept teachers phrased it: "We recognise but one law in the Universe, the law of harmony, of perfect equilibrium" (Chin, 282).

Perhaps we should pause for a moment to consider the use of the term "law" in connection with karma. Usually we consider a law as a rule or edict external to ourselves, imposed by some authority, legislative or judicial. Karma, however, is the principle inherent in the very nature of the universe. As the Mahatma states in the letter quoted above: "Immutable laws...are eternal and uncreated, propelled in the Eternity" (Chin, 282). Or as one student once expressed the concept, "karma is the habit of universal and eternal nature." It is the way the universe, and all that is within it, behaves.

If karma is simply inherent in the way the universe behaves, a mannerism, as it were, of universal nature (there may be other ways in which universes operate), and if the universe and all within it are involved in an evolutionary process toward a desired goal, the processes we call karma and rebirth present us with positive opportunities to achieve both growth and progressive development. In other words, when properly understood the process is not retributive, arising out of actions in the past, but educative, utilizing both past and present actions (at whatever level—physical, emotional, mental, etc.) as learnings for developing capacities and faculties for the future. Furthermore, both karma and rebirth are purposeful, the tools by which the evolution or unfoldment of consciousness is achieved. They are not to be viewed as burdens to be endured, as the price paid for past pains and pleasures. Nor are they deterministic, as there is a place for human choice in the process (although that place needs to be carefully delineated). Choice, in fact, is the unique quality which we, at the human stage, must bring to the evolutionary process, although to explore that topic here would take us far afield, involving as it necessarily would a complete review of the awakening of the mind, with its numerous potentials, at the appropriate stage of human evolution.

The doctrine of karma needs to be seen as crucial for the individual"s spiritual life: each individual will respond according to the level of spiritual development achieved over the course of successive incarnations. Karma, in such a view—as educational rather than retributive—must be understood as more than just acts, thoughts, deeds, feelings in any one life, but above all as the volition, the intention underlying whatever one does at any level of spiritual unfoldment. Here we may recall the statement in The Mahatma Letters that "the whole individuality is centred in the three middle or 3rd, 4th, and 5th principles. During earthly life it is all in the fourth, the centre of energy, volition—will" (Chin, 123). The fourth principle is kama or emotion, and here indeed, at that level, are some of our toughest problems or karmic lessons. If we recognize the importance of the volitional aspect of karma, the concept takes on a moral significance, even a providential force, which points to a creative and redemptive possibility in every situation. It is not a question of whether the situation is painful or pleasurable, but of what it teaches us, what lesson there is in it for our spiritual growth. Above all, we need to examine our intention as we respond to both painful and pleasurable conditions in our lives.

Now as we attempt to set the notions of karma and rebirth in the larger context of a worldview that posits One Life, One Consciousness, One Law, we may turn to the concept of entanglement as a useful key to unlocking some of the mysteries in those two great principles. If a connection continues to exist between two particles once fused together but now separated, if connections exist between the fluttering of butterfly wings on one continent with tidal waves on the shores of far distant islands, then what of the effect of my thoughts, feelings, actions, intentions as these ripple out across time and space? If all things are interlinked and remain so despite seeming separations, then how do I distinguish causes from what I consider to be effects? Are not those causes themselves effects of previous causes? And is not this whole vast cosmic system simply the child of a previous such system and the parent of the next? What comes to mind are the words used by HPB in the opening stanza of that mysterious text, The Stanzas of Dzyan, on which she based The Secret Doctrine. Translating from an unknown tongue, she wrote that the universe was "once again" in a state of nonexistence (Blavatsky, Secret Doctrine, 1:27). According to HPB, we are in the "Fourth Round" of the present manifestation, whatever that may mean, although surely it must mean that we have all been through this before!

Perhaps one of HPB"s most fascinating discussions about karma occurred in one of the last meetings of the Blavatsky Lodge in London of which we have a record. During a meeting on June 6, 1889, HPB is asked if there is such a thing as unmerited suffering, to which she responds: "Very often you have sufferings through causes generated by other persons, of which you are not guilty at all." Later she adds, "Very often you suffer for things you have never committed, but you simply happen to fall under this current...You suffer tremendously, and you suffer that which is not merited, and then you have to have an adequate bliss and reward for it" (Gomes, 597). During that session, HPB spoke further on the subject of free will as well as on other aspects of karma, including accidents, which she called the "commas and semicolons" of existence, adding that they are not "preordained."

A major question which naturally arises when we consider entangled karma is the extent to which there is such a thing as personal karma. We are all accustomed to speaking of my karma or your karma, as though I and you were so completely separate that no relationship existed between us. Yet if all that exists is rooted in the One, must there not exist some kind of relationship, so that whatever I do or think or feel must reverberate or resonate across time and space to affect all other sentient beings? On a very practical level, to what extent is it karmic that my small bank account is affected by the global financial crisis? Or, to take a more useful example, if someone whom I may not even know is terminally ill (which is usually thought of as a karmic condition), to what extent are my thoughts of healing of any benefit whatsoever?

Many other questions arise as we consider the implications of entanglement. And if that concept provides at least a possible explanation for psychic and parapsychic events, why may it not be useful in considering such universal principles as periodicity and causality (or even acausal phenomena)? Since connections continue to exist between particles of matter however much those particles appear to be severed, what of the currents that flow, the connections that always exist, between what I consider to be myself as an independent entity and all other beings in this wondrously beautiful universe, however separate each of them may appear and whether they are viewed as beautiful or ugly?

Truly we live in an entangled universe, and all its modes of behavior are subject to the same universal laws. Karma is but one expression of those laws, the singular expression that ever seeks harmony and equilibrium as we journey on the evolutionary path of ever-expanding consciousness, from the One home to the One. Welcome, all our fellow pilgrims, at whatever stage you may be, mineral, plant, animal, human, adept. We may appear to be separate notes in the great symphony of life, but sound any note and all other notes will respond. Yes, that is karma.

SOURCES 

Blavatsky, H.P. The Key to Theosophy. Wheaton: Quest, 1972.

———. The Secret Doctrine. Two volumes. Wheaton: Quest, 1978.

Chin, Vicente Hao, Jr., ed. The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in Chronological Sequence. Manila: Theosophical Publishing House, 1998.

Gomes, Michael, ed. The Secret Doctrine Commentaries: The Unpublished 1889 Instructions. The Hague: I.S.I.S. Foundation, 2010.

Radin, Dean. Entangled Minds: Extrasensory Experiences in a Quantum Reality. New York: Paraview Pocket Books, 2006.

Joy MIlls was president of the Theosophical Society in America from 1965 to 1974. Her works include One Hundred Years of  Theosophy: A History of the Theosophical Society in America; The One True Adventure: Theosophy and the Quest for Meaning; and Reflections on an Ageless Wisdom;  A Commentary on the Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett. She was interviewed in the Summer 2011 issue of Quest.

Printed in the Fall 2012 issue of Quest magazine. 
Citation:Smoley, Richard. "Mainstreaming Theosophy: An Interview with Vicente Hao Chin, Jr." Quest  100. 4 (Fall 2012): pg. 130-135.

by Richard Smoley 

Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., is one of the world's most distinguished Theosophists. Past president of the Theosophical Society in the Philippines and founder and chairman of the Golden Link School. He is author of Why Meditate? and The Process of Self-Transformation: Mastery of the Self and Awakening of Our Higher Potentials. He also compiled, edited, and published the chronological edition of The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett and is editor of Theosophical Digest, published in the Philippines, and associate editor of Theosopedia: The Internet Theosophical Encyclopedia. This interview was conducted during his visit to the Olcott campus in February 2012.

Richard Smoley: Could you begin by telling about some of the work that you and the TS have been doing in the Philippines? What are your most successful efforts, do you think?

Vicente Hao Chin: Well, it has been many years, a period of twenty to thirty years. We have entered into various facets of publication, education, social work, and other things. One of the major areas we went into in the past few years was the establishment of schools. We have four schools right now. They start from kindergarten and go up to the bachelor level. We have five courses: two in education, one in psychology, one in information technology, and one in business administration. But what is probably unique in these courses, including in the high school, would be the Theosophical element. For example, all college students will go through one semester of courses on Theosophy, on comparative religion, on self-transformation, then on marriage and parenting. Then they go through an annual youth camp. These are all for character building. And so they go through an "atmosphere"; for several years they are actually exposed to a way of life instead of simply academic courses.

Next year we are going to open up a fifth school in another place, because a lot of our members have shown a deep interest in this area of work. We think that is a major direction of TS work, because there is a general perception that we don't give as much attention to young people. But they will be the adults of the future. If we don't give attention to them, their conditioning, the way they are being brought up will be the traditional way, and this would just bring us to the same kind of society we have been complaining about. So we must start from a young age. We'd like to expand this work, even to youth development. Not just education, but go out into the society and have youth centers or youth camps—or education sponsorship programs that will gather young people into a certain community such that they will receive very wholesome influences, even if they're not our students.

Now this requires a lot of qualified manpower resources. And this is the part that is not easy. It will take years to nurture and develop the people who will be able to do these things.

Smoley: What is the spiritual climate of the Philippines today?

Chin: There is growing interest in spirituality, but, as in most countries, it is the normal religious culture that prevails. We are 85 percent Catholic, 10 percent Protestant, and 5 percent Muslim and others. So the influence of the Catholic Church is dominant. But fortunately, because of the dissemination work of the TS in the Philippines, primarily through the Theosophical Digest, the perception of the public, especially the Catholic Church, has changed towards the TS. Twenty or thirty years ago, they would think of us as a cult. But now generally they don't. We get a lot of invitations from religious orders and Catholic colleges and universities. They invite us to give seminars for their faculty members and students and training programs for their teachers, and they subscribe to the Theosophical Digest.

In fact, there is a very large Jesuit university in the Philippines called Xavier University. Every year for the past eight years, they have asked us to conduct the first part of their six-month program for international workers, social workers, priests, and so on. And we always have a segment on self-transformation.

Smoley: Could you tell us a little bit more about the self-transformation project?

Chin: This was developed more than twenty years ago. It was initially meant to bridge the gap between Theosophical principles and daily life. I remember one time my lodge, which is a very big lodge, was discussing brotherhood. The way it was being discussed was quite unbrotherly, and I realized that if these concepts are true, they must be applicable to daily life. Not just when one becomes a disciple, but now, with family—with wife or husband and so on. The whole self-transformation program was built up in order to address practically all facets of daily life, serving as a foundation for the spiritual life. Because it's not possible to pursue the spiritual life if I'm overwhelmed daily by anger, resentment, hurt, or depression. We need to deal with these psychological barriers, because if my mind keeps on going to my hurt or resentment, I have no energy for meditation or spiritual things; my energy is occupied with all these things that draw me uselessly in certain directions.

These seminars have been able to help numerous people who are depressed, who have phobias, who have problems in relationship, who have fear of failure, fear of the future, fear of death, and so on. A lot of people have asked us to conduct the seminar for them, and we actually offer it for free. We don't charge anything. They just take care of the venue, the food, the place they are going to stay. And we do this for almost anybody. We have conducted the program within the Society and shared it with schools, institutions, groups, businesses, even the military, and of course colleges and universities, as well as religious orders. We have conducted this program for a national gathering of Carmelite sisters, and they felt that it helped their spirituality. Now that's a very high compliment, coming from the Carmelite order.

For young people we have converted this into a youth camp. The seminar itself is three days long, but for the youth camp we made it four days because we put in a lot of activities for young people. We call it Golden Link Youth Camp. We've been running it for more than ten years. And it works so well that in four days' time we have had an impact on young people. Formerly they would be black sheep or problems to their families. After the four days the parents would tell us that something happened to their children, and that they feel very proud of what their children are now.

After these many years of feedback, we decided if young people can be affected in four days' time, what more could happen if they were with us for a whole semester, or a whole school year? So we began to look into putting up a regular school. And this led to Golden Link School. That's why it's called Golden Link, because it started with Golden Link Youth Camp. After about seven years, we were able to start a college department for tertiary levels. We offered, first, bachelor degrees in education. We like to focus on education, because we feel it's very important to introduce another way of teaching to the normal educational world, one in which we don't put in things that are harmful to young people. When they threaten, when they punish, when they humiliate, they think they are motivating, but they are actually harming young people, making them lose their self-confidence and self-esteem. We don't have those things in our schools. We don't even have competitions or contests. We don't use fear. We don't punish students, and yet our level of self-discipline on the campus is, I think, much better than the average school.

In fact, we have developed a reputation among parents that if somebody has a son or daughter who is really a problem, send them to Golden Link School. And they feel we can handle it and do something about it. That's a nice reputation, because we accept students who are expelled from other schools and find it hard to enroll in other schools, but we accept them. So long as they don't harm others, we don't expel them. Even if academically they're doing very poorly.

Smoley: What's your impression of the TS in America? How do our efforts resemble yours and how do they differ?

Chin: During this trip I learned a lot of things from my sessions in Krotona and here. For example, I realized that Theosophical work must consider the differences in culture. Words that may be OK in the Philippines or in India may not be all right in the U.S. Certain concepts, certain ways of doing things may be all right in Asia but not here. So I realized that while the principle is common, we must be sensitive to the differences in culture.

Second is that I think the TS in America is leading in practically all facets of Theosophical work. You are doing things that many of us are not doing at all, like Webcasting, Webinars. This is the wave of the future. Because, in the Philippines, we are talking about 97 million people; in the U.S. you have 300 million people. The only way to reach them now is not to bring them together in one place but to reach them through their computers. I think you are setting the example for ways of doing this effectively. I spent some time today learning about these things because we'd like to experiment with them in the Philippines. We can't afford your equipment, but we can do it in a more modest way.

Smoley: You were instrumental in publishing the chronological edition of the Mahatma Letters. I'm wondering if you could say a little bit about what the Mahatma Letters offer to the seeker today.

Chin: The Mahatma Letters are a unique body of information and wisdom that's not found anywhere else. Here are adepts, mahatmas, Masters of the Wisdom—those who have already reached the apex of human growth and development—writing not just on lofty spiritual subjects but on daily issues. This gives us a glimpse about the way that these great personages think and act. And in those letters, we find some of the profoundest statements about the wisdom that we cannot find in any other literature, not even The Secret Doctrine. Hence, while some people have reservations about their publication, I believe it has been a great blessing to the Theosophical world.

Smoley: How did the chronological edition come about?

Chin: At the time I felt that these letters must be organized in a different way than they had been. I felt first they must be organized according to the dates of the letters. Second, there must be some explanation of what they are talking about in a given letter. So that led to the chronological edition. We are now planning to put this all on the Web, and we think this will be a revolution in the study of the Mahatma Letters. And this will be up, I suppose, within this year. I am very excited about making available, not only the Mahatma Letters, but also the facsimiles of the original letters. That's a tremendous development.

Smoley: Could you say a little bit about your own personal search? How did you come to Theosophy, and what has it meant in your life?

Chin: I suppose my restlessness for these things came from previous lives because I already felt this even when I was young. I lived in a city far from Manila. And in that area, nobody talks about these things. There are no books on them. I had to order books that, to me, were so valuable but were so expensive because sometimes I had to write to the U.S. to order them.

It was after I was exposed to yoga—through a certain organization in the Philippines, where I learned raja yoga, meditation, and mantra yoga—that one of my companions said, "Oh, there's a library over there with all these books." I was in Manila at the time. And I was so excited to hear about that, and the next day I went there. It was closed and I had to return. It was the TS library. And when I went there, I met the people. Just the first few times, I saw photos of people—I didn't even know who they were. But somehow, there was a sense of this is home.

In fact, at that time I said something to myself quite personal, which was strange because I was new to the building and the TS. And yet in later years it proved that it was true. While I became active in other movements—spiritualism, Buddhist groups, Taoist groups, and other things; psychic surgery, psychic healing—it was the TS that I actually gravitated towards. I felt an affinity with this kind of a world. And it's made a tremendous difference in the way I have lived.

It's fortunate for me to have encountered this when I was about twenty-one because I was still malleable—to change my own character, personality, worldview. And I feel very fortunate that I encountered Theosophy because it was nondogmatic. I felt free to agree or disagree—to search from a wide variety of literature—and then arrive at my own convictions. I realized I couldn't live under an authoritarian organization that imposes dogmas. I couldn't. I grew up a Catholic, and there's no way I could survive under such an atmosphere. I can't believe in hell, I can't believe in a vindictive God, I can't believe in a God that repents. Or a God that massacres humans, entire cities. So what does that make of me? Am I still a Catholic?

When I went and joined a yoga organization, I was also being asked to believe certain things. I think what they were asking me to believe in was quite OK, but still I wasn't sure at the time. And so I felt hesitant. I couldn't be untrue to myself and say I believe when I have doubts. It was in the TS that I had this room and freedom first to be myself as I am right now. Maybe I'm still ignorant, but I'm not being asked to believe. That's what I like about the TS. It has this profound wisdom, yet it has enough faith in this wisdom to leave people free. And it has affected the way I have become a husband, a father, a businessman, a person involved in society—the way I've dealt with my own conflicts and emotions, my own depression, my own fears. All these were changed because of my exposure to Theosophy.

For this reason I believe Theosophy really has a tremendous message for the world. I've studied Christianity, studied Buddhism and other things, and in all of these traditions, there is this core teaching that should really be brought out to the public to the outer world. To me it doesn't matter if you call it Theosophy or Catholicism. But there is such a wisdom, and it must be taught in schools. That's the reason why we felt we should have schools that would combine academic subjects with life skills and wisdom, and introduce these to other schools, in some way or the other.

Smoley: I'm wondering if you have anything you want to say or add in addition to what we've already spoken about.

Chin: On Theosophy and the TS, one of the things that has been coming back constantly to my mind is our work in the future. Most of us have spent twenty, thirty, forty years in the work, and one of these days we will die, we will just leave all of this behind. And we need to prepare the next generation of people in our respective sections about the future work of the TS. Looking back not only in the Philippines but also in many of the mature sections, I believe that we now have the means, the literature, and the wisdom to be able to start mainstreaming Theosophy. What I mean is, let this applied wisdom be part of common public consciousness, not just among Theosophists. So this is one way in which we should try to bring Theosophical insights to the world and mainstream them—into education, into magazines, Web sites, even television. And how do we do so?

The first facet is to correct any misimpression about what the words "Theosophy" or "Theosophical Society" mean. A lot of people may have a wrong impression, and because of that they don't want anything to do with Theosophy. It is our obligation to correct this impression. Hence we must have a collective effort to broadcast what Theosophy is in one or two sentences, so that people who may not be interested in Theosophy in depth will at least have a correct idea about what we are.

Then, because impact must come from practice, from a way of life, we must go into the second stage. What are the things that we have to offer to the world, to family life, married life, to social conflicts, to depression, to problems and internal conflicts of people? We have a lot. Why don't we offer these and make them a part of mainstream society as practices, part of institutions, part of schools, part of the value system of society? People may not follow them, but at least they will know that there is such a thing. To do so, we ourselves must translate Theosophical principles into practice. And I think we will have to do this for many decades. Putting up a school, for example, is very difficult, it demands decades of commitment. And yet until we do so, we cannot demonstrate that Theosophical education works better than standard education.

So the introduction of these practices to the fabric of human society, I think, is a task that all sections must do, in all their countries. And in our own small way, we are doing this in the Philippines. We just opened a vegetarian restaurant a week before I left.

The third part is we must prepare ourselves. Neither of these two things will ever be done effectively unless we have the people to do so. We must live in a certain manner that will be a model to other people. We're not perfect, but at least we may be just one notch better on the average because we value this outlook and way of life and we try to live it. If we cannot do so, then Theosophy has no value at all. If we are internally always squabbling, quarreling, and doing injury to one another, then we are not the best examples of the wisdom.

In addition would be the development of a core of advocates, workers, speakers, representatives of the TS. There is a dearth of these all over the world. In the Philippines, we have a lot of demands for seminars and youth camps, but we are only a very small group. Ten years ago we said, "We are going to train a hundred facilitators!" We found that we couldn't do it. So I realized that we have to look at this in terms of decades and generations. Whatever we do, it must not stop when we die. It must go on. This way of working must be institutionalized in the sense that it must be part of the system and not dependent on a very active leader. It should be something that goes on whether you have a bright, brilliant leader or just an ordinary, average leader. I believe that is one area we must look at for all of us in the future. The more we synergize, the more effective this will be.

And that's the reason I value trips like this. I have discussions with people, and we help each other and share resources. There is no point in dividing ourselves between the TS in the Philippines and the TS in America because it is a global work. It is the work of people who are concerned about humanity, about the future, about peacefulness and harmony. And this is not just of the people of the TS but all people who have similar dreams about the future world. The name "Theosophical Society" is just a name for this century. Maybe in another century it will be something else. There was no TS 140 years ago, but the wisdom has always been there. So it's the way of life and the wisdom that we must try to embed into the fabric of regular society. I think that's our work for the future.