Theos-Talk Archives (April 2003 Message tt00098)

Thank you Dallas for your kind thoughts at this time. I think what 
you've said is very true. I suppose it is doubt that has held me back 
from fully accepting that the soul moves on to a place where it can 
rest before experiencing a new life. I have found a lot of comfort in 
reading the Theosophical viewpoint though. At my mother's bedside in 
the hospital I said to some of the people present that I looked upon 
it as being a new beginning for my mother and not an end. I have 
tried to be positive about it and not let it get me depressed. I 
think I read somewhere that if we do not let go then we might prevent 
the soul of the loved one from moving on as it should. So this would 
be selfish. I talk to my mother at night time before sleeping, not 
that I expect a reply but I find it helps me to cope with what has 
happened. HPB said that the soul sometimes hangs around for a while 
before moving on. I think this has been so. It has brought the family 
even closer together, which is what she would have wanted. Even 
though I was sad, I said to her before she passed on that everything 
is, and will be, okay and that I will look after the rest of the 
family. I don't know if she heard me (she was in a deep sleep) but I 
hope it reassured her so that she will not be held back in any way. 

'The "soul" does not achieve immortality alone after physical death. 
the Soul as an immortal, precedes birth and carries with it the 
causes of its reincarnation.'

I do believe what you've said here is true. I also rather like this 
extract from Sir Edwin Arnold's translation of "The Song Celestial":

Never the spirit was born; the spirit shall cease to be never; Never 
was time it was not; End and Beginning are dreams! Birthless and 
deathless and changeless remaineth the spirit for ever; Death hath 
not touched it at all, dead though the house of it seems!

I find these words very inspiring. I wrote this in the Book of 
Condolence here in town after the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World 
Trade Centre.

You have also touched upon the subject of reincarnation. I do accept 
this as a fact in my life and believe that we are all working through 
the causes and effects of karma. It is the only thing that makes 
sense to me. I think meditation can give us glimpses into our past 
existences, likewise hypnotic regression.

I have been surprised at how well I have coped with what has happened 
to our family, but knowing that I have to support and comfort others 
helps me to come to terms with it all. I think in some cultures wakes 
are held after someone "dies" and that their lives are celebrated. I 
am happy at least that my mother has now found some peace. She 
suffered a lot in her latter years with illness, and now I know she 
is not in pain anymore.

My best wishes to you too,

Simon


--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "Dallas TenBroeck" <dalval14@e...> 
wrote:
> Sunday, April 20, 2003
> 
> 
> Dear Greg:
> 
> 
> Mme. Blavatsky had much to about the event of physical death which
> comes to all. She said it was analogous to sleep -- a prolonged 
one.
> it comes to us all eventually. But then, we go on from there.
> 
> The reason she gives is that sleep affords the body that is tired a
> chance to recuperate its lost energy and awaken strong and ready to
> continue in the present body, so long as that body is not worn out
> completely.
> 
> The body wears out over the years, some faster than others, and is 
not
> fully renewed or replenished as the days, and months and years roll
> by.
> 
> But who animates the body when awake and well? Is it not the 
immortal
> Spirit-Soul the Divine mind resident in each body -- that which 
gives
> it its INDIVIDUALITY? We are assured that it never dies. Why is 
this
> idea of Soul-immortality so widespread and persistent ?
> 
> So, Theosophy teaches that "death" is a prolonged sleep for the 
Divine
> Ego -- the Real Individual. It comes as a natural process, whereby
> the resting time between physical lives, is used in the 'planes of 
the
> Mind' to review and assimilate the experiences of the life last 
lived,
> incidents we have stored in our memories, that we have not had time 
in
> our fleeting, fast-moving lives, to fully appreciate. So, the 
period
> between births is a busy time for the Divine Ego, it has much to
> review and to assimilate into its character for its future
> incarnation.
> 
> In the meantime, those of the family who are "left alive" feel the
> loss, the daily closeness of a friend, mother, father, a kindred 
soul,
> that will be asleep for a longer time than usual. But they have not
> vanished forever !
> 
> We do not worry at home if one of our family falls asleep earlier 
than
> others, we know that they will awaken in due course and relations 
will
> be resumed close and vital to each.
> 
> Theosophy offers the concept that the alternating of death and 
rebirth
> is merely the same in a longer time context. The Immortal SPIRITUAL
> INDIVIDUAL the Mind and its accumulated Wisdom and Compassion never 
is
> erased. It always returns, and in the company of its loved ones, as
> would be natural in those cases of great love and sympathy.
> 
> What we may have never had explained logically, yet, is that the
> energizing and real INDIVIDUAL in each of us is an Immortal. This,
> teaching is not isolated to Theosophy, but will be found, if one
> researches, to be included in the basic teachings and records of 
every
> great ancient religion -- from the time when religion, science and
> philosophy were far more united then, in the days of the "Son of 
God,"
> the prophet, or religious reformer who originated them, than they 
are
> commonly now. Wisdom is one for all, it belongs to the heart and to
> the intuition. The name under which some system of ethics, of
> universal and impartial justice and mercy, is promulgated, or now
> known, does not matter. Compassion, generosity, sagacity,
> good-will -- all the virtues -- are common to all humanity, and are
> the basis for spontaneous assistance to the needy at hand.
> 
> I say this because cumulative information (as in the study of 
various
> "faiths," and religions) has the value of a certain degree of
> assurance.
> 
> What Theosophy has added is the drawing together of this kind of
> evidence, presenting it, and asking inquirers and students to 
study,
> check and verify it for reasonableness. A knowledge that is
> reasonable gives the assurance of consistency and coherence to the
> unity provided by the key idea of soul-immortality. The "soul" does
> not achieve immortality alone after physical death. the Soul as an
> immortal, precedes birth and carries with it the causes of its
> reincarnation. It draws from Nature the needed material to reform a
> body that it can use, due to the assistance of father and mother in 
a
> new life. We have all lived many times together, before this present
> life.
> 
> This makes the idea of a universal brotherhood of immortal SPIRITS a
> far more reasonable one than the idea usually advanced in many
> commonly and superficially taught religious systems, that we are
> somehow made by a "God," and that the course of our living is unique
> and limited to a single lifetime.
> 
> Another, and important factor is that which concerns the continuous
> balancing of ethical and moral causes and effects. It affords a 
long
> base of time to receive the effects of our feelings, thoughts and
> actions. It explains accidents, and lives of bliss and pleasure
> sometimes interspersed with events of suffering, or of sudden 
elation,
> or catastrophe.
> 
> We all sense the need for a logical reason for these "accidents of
> fate."
> 
> Theosophy states that the whole Universe is ONE, and that every 
being
> including humans interacts continuously with his full environment,
> near and far. The great law of unity is also the law of interactive
> cooperation and, as such, is always that of heart-warming love,
> tenderness and compassion. So in this aspect of its operations, it 
is
> termed justice.
> 
> Because it is educative in essence, and because it is dealing with
> indestructible immortals, it has to find a way to educate them and
> help them to perceive the fault of their selfish ways. It takes 
care
> of the unrequited pain of victims, if the tyrant and wrong-doer does
> not attempt to make restitution and redress for any of the suffering
> they may have inflicted in this life, after the event. And since it
> applies uniformly for all, it is also merciful to those who have 
been
> wronged unjustly, or to whom "fate" has brought on crisis and
> accident. In fact it eliminates "fate," and "luck" from the
> vocabulary of living and substitutes for those the just return to 
the
> source of joy or pain of the effects which their interference has
> caused. The exact method of this is also explained, but as it
> requires more space I will leave it aside, unless asked.
> 
> So the passing of your mother ought to be viewed, not as a loss, but
> as her advancing in her own way, perhaps a little ahead of you, into
> the future which all of you will share eventually and in due course 
of
> time, For under such logic, the relation and bonds of love and
> happiness with loved ones is never ruptured or entirely lost, ever.
> 
> I hope that this offers the solace of philosophy and a view of some 
of
> the wider and deeper aspects of life -- rules and laws of 
brotherhood
> and cooperation that unite us all.
> 
> If you are further interested I will be glad to send you more
> information to consider.
> 
> Best wishes, and let our condolences be added (not as intruders, 
but
> as true friends) to those of your family,
> 
> Best wishes,
> 
> Dallas and Valerie TenBroeck
> 
> 
> 
> ==================================
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Simon [mailto:crowstone23@y...]
> Sent:	Sunday, April 20, 2003 11:06 AM
> To:	theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
> Subject:	Theos-World HPB and Bereavement
> 
> Hello, Firstly, thanks to those members who posted in response to my
> previous question. I would also like to know if HPB had anything
> specific to say about bereavement and the loss of a loved one in the
> family? My mother passed on on Good Friday and my family and I are
> finding it a very difficult knowing that we will never see her 
again.
> We miss her very much.
> 
> Simon
> 
> 
> 
> 
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