Positive Harmlessness

2003-9-25 05:22:00

Let us look at another of Ruth's questions:

"Also, why practice harmlessness, when karma from the past always causes so much pain in your life anyway? I guess the point of harmlessness is so we don't attract any more bad Karma! But if harmlessness means letting everyone walk all over you and cause you pain, then that's a hard way to spend your life, but then detachment is supposed to come into it also, and we are supposed to detach ourselves from our little emotions and egos etc. as well, aren't we? Maybe I keep missing the point which is made in these principles?"

JJ:
Good question. When we are living in rough surroundings with others who may not believe in, or even understand, harmlessness it may seem almost futile to practice it for some benefit in some far future life.

There are several corrections to this attitude which is helpful.

(1) Harmlessness is not negative passivity, but a positive approach. DK makes this clear also in his writings.

Sometimes it is right to turn the other cheek, but no rule applies in all circumstances.

What would have happened if we just sat around and sang Kumbaya as Hitler was taking over the world? Would our passive approach had been a harmless one?

No. If all nations were passive then Hitler would have conquered the world and great harm would have been done.

The fact is this. More often than not the harmless path requires the disciple to take some type of positive action with a view of creating the most beneficial, least harmless results.

Sometimes the harmless path will lead to an action of tough love. Sometimes it will lead to immediate peace but often it will lead to great conflict.

Consider the life of Christ, the most harmless of us all.

Did he make people angry?

Yes. But it was not his fault. Instead it was the fault of the emotionally based people who resisted his teachings.

Now remember the Pendulum Principle and the Middle Way. Just because the harmless path sometimes creates conflict do not get the idea that this will be the normal result of harmlessness.

More often than not harmlessness will create peaceful surroundings, but there are exceptions with results going to the other extreme. True harmlessness requires great power of judgment.

(2) Harmlessness has benefits in the here and now.

The first benefit will be an inner peace that filters down from your soul because you have made the correct choice. This benefit alone is well worth the cultivation of this principle.

The second benefit comes in the realization that many benefits of karma come within the current life. Some of the biggies are delayed to a future life because the circumstances to even things out completely are not available in the present one. Even so, we reap much of what we have sowed in the present life. I am 58 and the older I get the more I realize this is true. Again and again I see that people reap in later life that which they have sowed earlier.

Then too often there are immediately immediate results. This principle is illustrated in the scriptures:

"A soft answer turneth away wrath." Proverbs 15:1

Quite often the harmless approach will keep the budding disciple out of a lot of trouble. He will not run from trouble but he will not react with harmful words just to be gutsy or prove a point.

(3) It is true that to perfect harmlessness one must learn the art of detachment from the ego and lower desire nature. One must see himself as the observer and make decisions based on what is best for the whole rather than the individual self. This is difficult, but in the end it works out best for the whole as well as the parts.

I got a garage door opener. It can't close. Just open. Steven Wright