Belief systems vs. the universe
QUESTION: Masters, in your FAQ, you mentioned that it is a universal law that says all souls have the ultimate right to decide exactly what they are going to do while incarnate. Does this mean that karma (as is posited as a universal law in Buddhism) does not exist? As I understand it, in Buddhism as well as Theosophy, karma, when its seeds are ripened, will determine what kind of reincarnation one has, so there is no total free choice. Kindly explain to me this seeming contradiction. ~Terence, Singapore
ANSWER: The contradiction exists only in a comparison between apples and oranges. You are trying to equate the physical rules of a religious belief system that exists in a dualistic, third-dimensional judgmental world with the nonphysical, energetic “beingness” of unconditional love. In the energetic fifth dimension, there is only positive energy—no negativity or balancing of past acts needed. Belief systems control the physical thoughts of the body a soul may choose to inhabit while it is on Earth. The choice of whether to adhere to a particular set of rules and regulations or the beliefs of a particular group belongs to each individual.
Each soul having a physical experience has the freedom to choose which of the many possible religious thought groups it wishes to use to configure its physical life. It may accept all of the teachings of one sect or it may pick and choose those with which it resonates. Most humans do not understand that they may make their own choices; they are brought up by family and society to embrace the “accepted” form of thought for that part of the world. All people have the ability to make such decisions for themselves, but most of the time they just follow along as they are taught.
Before the soul enters into human a body, it chooses which life lessons it wishes to experience. These lessons can only occur on Earth, where both negative and positive aspects compete. It is in freely choosing negative or positive that the soul may see which one it wishes to continue experiencing—that is the lesson. So, as you can see, the soul can make choices both before it incarnates and by modifying its actions once on Earth. This is the freedom of choice we write about.