Theos-Talk Archives (October 2000 Message tt00094)

--- In theos-talk@egroups.com, Kathleen Arc <KArc@c...> wrote:
> Re True Teachers who "charge"...as an old friend of mine used to
> say...."They don't fill our begging bowls in this hemisphere." 
Love, Kat
> in Italy
> 
> P.S. A Lot of Times, you have to go through the chaff to find the 
wheat --
> It too is called Karma. Eventually Discrimination begins to shine
a 
Light
> on the True North Direction.

I did some study on the Elizabethan Poor Laws that have influenced
the 
social welfare laws throughout Britain and the United States and
still 
have an influence on people's attitudes... The Poor Laws came about 
after the destruction of the Monastic system in England under Henry 
VIII, who seized the lands and pillaged the Churches. 

Previous to this the poor were cared for by the Church...almsgiving 
was extolled and the poor had a special spiritual role in that they 
were regarded as being God's poor as in the case of the Franciscans 
who begged on occasion not unlike the Buddhist monks and Sannyasins
do 
today in India, although this is likely changing as Western influence 
is predominant. With the Protestant work ethic the poor came to be 
regarded as sinful, wasteful prodigals and unworthy of charity 
(Charity was a virtue in the Middle Ages), so the Elizabethan Poor 
Laws were passed to find the "worthy" poor and to see that the poor 
would not become a burden to society. Welfare reform is an old issue.

With the recent immigration of many Indians to the USA we have a rare 
oppotunity to see first hand how Indian culture will fare here. I am 
fortunate to live near a large Hindu temple and this was where I
began 
teaching Yoga for eight months without charge as the Temple priest 
told me they had found no one who was willing to teach Yoga without 
charging exorbitant fees. Thus an interesting paradox occurred that
as 
a "Westerner" I began teaching the ancient science of Yoga without 
charge to Hindus who had given birth to the science of Yoga countless 
centuries ago.

- Arthur Gregory


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