To Light a Thousand Lamps - The Theosophical Society

68 / TO LIGHT A THOUSAND LAMPS
focuses on what they can do. In this way she energizes their
will and creative talent to bring forth whatever potential
they have. She writes:
Please promote erasing the false idea that people get
about the word ‘‘karma.’’ Neither I nor others handicapped
have been ‘‘punished’’ by being in damaged bodies (brains,
or...). No! In fact, once one’s consciousness has sprung
past the illusions of faulty education, then in a flash one
changes one’s attitude about the disability — changes and
realizes once and forever that the damaged form is not a
punishment but a holy privilege, through which one is at last
permitted to ‘‘work’’ on a conscious (awakened) level.
It’s like wearing a proper costume to ‘‘go to work’’ —
the damaged vehicle is a necessary and self-imposed outer
draping. Our own inner mechanisms permit the current
‘‘body’’ and momentary circumstances so that the teachinglearning
conditions may be met. Each of us has in some
moment of time had to ‘‘pay’’ for past errors in thought
or deed. Able-bodied people are not purer than cripples;
they ‘‘pay’’ for their errors via a di¤erent cause-and-e¤ect
situation.
Karma — the word should be explained as meaning ‘‘circumstances
currently the soul chose as the best opportunity
for the soul’s growth and for teaching others.’’
A powerful response to the question ‘‘Is life fair?’’ by one
who refused to stay bitter and has consecrated her gift of
courage and love to all in need of hope and self-worth.
Even when someone’s life is heavy with trial, to feel that he
or she has a very ‘‘bad’’ karma this time round is to hold a
totally mistaken view from the standpoint of the human
soul or reincarnating ego. Purucker said it well: ‘‘we are our