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KARMA as if a man held his destiny in his own hands and could act contrary to the decrees of fate."
The decrees of fate, according to the Eastem teaching, are neither more nor less than the law of Karma in action. It will be seen that man is truly either master or slave of his fate, since it has its origin in himself. It will also be seen that in the "eternal now", Karma is continuously being realized, and continually giving rise to further realizations. Life is a continual succession of opportunities to be taken advantage of or lost. Every physical process leaves permanent imprints on our souls through the nervous system, and every psychic process leaves permanent imprints on our bodies.
Thus Karma enables us to profit by the past by convincing us of the fact that the position in which we find ourselves now, whether as regards health or disease, happiness or misery, must not be attributed to chance, or to planetary influence, or to any other cause than our own efforts or errors; that is, our own defects of will or judgment in trying to withstand the scheme of progress laid down for us by the Lords of Life and recorded in the sacred writings of all peoples and all ages. “With all thy getting, get understanding," says the proverb. Furnished with this talisman of understanding,
