Theosophical Study Paper No 03

Author(s): Theosophical Society in Australia
Publisher: Theosophical Society in Australia

Page 11

It is a continuing creation, and not something lying in wait for us; it is not a sword hanging over us that may drop on us at any moment, it is a continually growing power, modified every moment by every thought, every desire, every action. One way of appreciating this practically is to remember the karmic laws: thought makes character; desire, opportunity; activity, environment. Look back over any one day and you will find your thoughts very mixed, some useful, some mischievous; and if you had to strike the balance, the resultant of the intermingling of all those thoughts in the karmic stream might be very difficult to determine. So with desires; part of the day you are desiring nobly, part of it badly; sometimes wisely, sometimes stupidly. The resultant of your day's desires also it is not easy to see, but it will certainly be very mixed. So with your actions; some hasty words, some kind, some gentle, some harsh; very mixed once more. The study of one day will prove to you that you are creating a very mixed karma, and that it is hard to say whether the outcome is for good or for evil. Apply that to your past lives, and you will get rid of the notion of an enormous stream that is sweeping you away.
That stream is made up of thousands and thousands of different currents, and they play themselves off one against the other. With very many of the decisions that you take, and the actions that follow on the decisions, the scales of karma are balanced. A real understanding of karma is a stimulus to exertion. At any moment you may change the issues of destiny, and may weigh down one scale or another of your fate. Karma is always in the making. Whatever the condition, make the best of it for the moment, and if the scale against you be too heavy, never mind, you have done your best, and that will have gone into the other scale and made them more equal for the whole of your future. Exertion is always wise. No matter if it seems hopeless, you have diminished the weight against you. Every effort has its full result, and the wiser you are the better you can think and desire and act. If you think of karma thus, it will never paralyse you, but always inspire you. "But," you say, “there are some things, after all, in which my
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