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Lesson VIII: Dharma.389
us a fair hearing—that is, the hearing of an unprejudiced judge instead of
that of a paid advocate ready to pick flaws and make objections before
we state our case. That is all we ask, and it is no more than any fair-minded
student should be willing to grant. We are not attempting to tell you how
to act, but wish merely to present the general principles of Dharma for your
consideration.
Perhaps the better way to begin our consideration of the philosophy
of Dharma would be to give you an idea of how that philosophy views
the three above mentioned theories of the basis of morality and rule of
conduct. We shall take up each theory in turn. But before doing so we must
ask you to bear in mind the fundamental theory of the Yogi Philosophy
that all souls are growing souls—souls in different stages of growth and
advancement along The Path. Spiritual evolution is in full force, and each
soul builds upon its yesterdays, and, at the same time, is laying a foundation
for its tomorrows. Its yesterdays extend back over its present earthly life
away back into its past existences. And its tomorrows reach far ahead of
the remaining days of its present earthly life into its future embodiments or
incarnations. Life is not a mere matter of a few years in the flesh—the soul
has countless yesterdays of existence, and has the whole of eternity before
it, in a constantly progressing scale, plane after plane of existence being
before it, in an ever ascending spiral. We do not purpose dwelling upon this
fact, but mention it that you may be reminded that the embodied souls we
see around us in the shape of men and women represent different scales of
ascent, development, and unfoldment, and that of necessity there must be
widely differing needs and requirements of the soul. The advancing ideals
of morals, conduct and ethics are seen by the Yogis as indications that the
idea and delusion of separateness is falling away from the race, and that the
consciousness of Oneness is dawning in the minds of men. This dawning
consciousness is causing the race to see “wrong” in many things that were
formerly considered “right”—it is causing men to feel the pains and sorrows
of others, and to enjoy the happiness and pleasure of those around them—