Theosophy

[This article appeared in the September 2014 issue of The Theosophical Movement. For more articles published in this excellent magazine follow this link:

http://www.ultindia.org/previous_issues.html ]

The words “Hindu” and “Hinduism” mean different things to different people. For the Rashtriya Seva Sangh (RSS) chief, Mohan Bhagwat, all those who live in Hindustan are Hindus. For RSS activist Dinanath Batra, Hindu is a crusading word, evoking a campaign against Macaulayite secularists who have monopolized Indian thought and education. The word “Hindu” denotes the opposite of the rootless and the westernised. Sangh activists like Batra believe that it is their dharma (duty) to restore Hindu sanskriti (culture) to the school curriculum. After thousands of years of globalization, how shall we define “Indian” and “western”? Amartya Sen pertinently asks, “Does the use of penicillin amount to westernization? Is tea non-Indian because it was brought to India by the British?”

Radha Burnier – India 

Radha Burnier at home and the cat

[Recognizing regeneration as the kernel of all Theosophical work, the International Theosophical Centre at Naarden, the Netherlands, jointly with the Federation of Theosophical Societies in Europe, organized two seminars in July 1990, with a number of office-bearers, workers and members of the Society from different countries as participants. Proceedings of the seminar were published as a book under the title Human Regeneration: Lectures and Discussion (Amsterdam: Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland, 1990). This chapter is here slightly revised.]

From a student

[The magazine Vidya http://www.theosophysb.org/site/publications.html , edited by associates of the United Lodge of Theosophists in Santa Barbara, USA, published the following article in its spring 2012 issue; here slightly revised.]

“For mind is like a mirror; it gathers dust while it reflects. It needs the gentle breezes of Soul-wisdom to brush away the dust of our illusions. Seek, 0 Beginner to blend thy Mind and Soul.” The Voice of the Silence.

 John Algeo – USA

Introduction. The West can be viewed, not as a geographical area, but rather as a cultural complex, consisting of Europe and other places around the globe that derive their culture from that continent. Those places include the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and other localities whose primary culture comes directly or indirectly from Europe. History, in turn, can be seen, not as merely a series of political, military, or economic events, but rather as a sequence of interrelated major cultural movements. History in this sense is less a matter of actions than of the mind – intellectual history. From such a combined standpoint, the history of the West can be perceived as seven major cultural movements that succeed one another in time, each having one of the seven Rays dominant in it. Other important movements certainly have existed, but the seven considered here are notable for their correlation with the theory of the seven Rays.

John Algeo – USA

We now begin the third and last fragment of The Voice of the Silence, entitled “The Seven Portals.” The dominant metaphor of this fragment is that of passing seven gates or doors on the spiritual path. Although referred to earlier, that metaphor becomes the primary subject of this last fragment.

John Algeo – USA

Now, to consider Frank Baum and his connection with Theosophy and the Society:

Baum’s mother-in-law, Matilda Joslyn Gage, was an early worker for women’s suffrage and a member of the Theosophical Society, who was a major influence on Baum’s life (see http://www.matildajoslyngage.org/gage-home/baumoz-family-room ).

Matilda Joselyn Gage

Her influence brought both her daughter, Maud Gage, and her son-in-law, Frank, into membership in the Theosophical Society in 1892, when they joined the Ramayana Theosophical Society in Chicago. (See “A Notable Theosophist: L. Frank Baum.” American Theosophist 74.8 [August-September 1986]: 270-73.)

Boris de Zirkoff – USA

THEOSOPHIA

A Living Philosophy For Humanity

Volume XXXVI

No. 4 (162) - Spring 1980

Original cover photo (1980) on the magazine: Radiant Winter Day, Near Davos Switzerland.

In the midst of the mighty struggle that is taking place in the outer world between right and wrong, between the call of a noble duty to mankind and the lure of selfishness and greed, perennial ideals of the spiritual life stand out in ever greater glory when projected against the somber clouds of hatred, callous cruelty and violence.

Our approach to Theosophy

Radha Burnier – India

Radha Burnier during the World Congress in Rome, 2010

[Recognizing regeneration as the kernel of all Theosophical work, the International Theosophical Centre at Naarden, the Netherlands, jointly with the Federation of Theosophical Societies in Europe, organized two seminars in July 1990, with a number of office-bearers, workers and members of the Society from different countries as participants. Proceedings of the seminar were published as a book under the title Human Regeneration: Lectures and Discussion (Amsterdam: Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland, 1990). This chapter is here slightly revised.]

We have been considering two important things: first, universal brotherhood without distinctions, which is a state of consciousness with very profound implications, and second, the crucial importance of perceiving truth, for awareness of truth makes the whole of one’s life, every relationship, different. If we become aware, not only of the form and appearance of things, but of their real, inner nature, then there is love; we care for and look after everything. If you see the meaning and beauty of a flower, you are tender with it. When one does not see, or sees only an object that varies according to momentary desires and conditioning, then one is capable of being destructive, creating chaos. So the quest for truth is not remote and abstract. It is the most practical of endeavors.

From a Student

[The magazine Vidya (http://www.theosophysb.org/site/publications.html , edited by associates of the United Lodge of Theosophists in Santa Barbara, USA, published the following article in its winter 2013 issue; here slightly revised.]

An effort to understand buddhias a reflection of atmanrequires us to consider the second principle of human nature in Theosophical teaching. In the sevenfold scheme of human evolution and the human principles, the first principle, atman, is the universal Self, the true undifferentiated Self of everyone. The light of that Self is reflected in the second principle, buddhi, the first of the principles in the plane of what we might call some form of primordial matter. If we look at the field of material existence and the knower of the field, as they are called in the Bhagavad Gita, all of the principles below atman are part of the field. Asbuddhi is the first principle below atman, we could consider it as being closest to the central Reality and best able to reflect what is true about the universal spirit. Buddhiis called the spiritual soul, the highest intellection. It is considered to be the principle that ideally, in the course of human evolution, will be the guiding principle for all our decisions when we eventually become highly evolved enough. As manas, the third principle, becomes wedded to buddhi, in a mystic marriage, we understand that the intellectual capacities of the mind to discriminate and to use reason, to understand the field, would be illuminated by a sense of wisdom and guidance from above. Spiritual intuition is that buddhic principle.

[This article appeared in the July 2014 issue of The Theosophical Movement. For more articles published in this excellent magazine follow this link: http://www.ultindia.org/previous_issues.html ]

If we are observant and reflective enough we have a chance to convert ordinary moments of life into Eureka moments, like Archimedes, who jumped out of his bath naked, to propound the Theory of Displacement, or like Newton, who arrived at the Law of Gravitation when an apple fell on his head. We can find inspiration in smaller things of life, if we have an observant eye and a mind that is questioning, reflecting, discussing and understanding. A movement of random acts of kindness and generosity was triggered, when a lady in Boston started anonymously leaving blankets for the poor on benches, on cold nights.

John Algeo - USA

[Published in Supplement to Brahmavidya: The Adyar Library Bulletin, 2013 (Adyar Library and Research Centre, Adyar, Chennai 20, India), pp. 141-149.]

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested: that is, some books are to be read only in parts, others to be read, but not curiously, and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. — Sir Francis Bacon

The Secret Doctrine, H. P. Blavatsky’s master work, is a remarkable and marvelous book. Like all works that come to us through human hands, it is not free from error. It is not a sacred text nor infallible, but it is certainly a book worth reading “wholly, and with diligence and attention” because it is the foundation of modern Theosophy. In this book (2:443), H.P.B. quotes Francis Bacon as saying, “In contemplation, … if a man begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.” That observation echoes the motto of the Theosophical Society, “There is no religion higher than truth.” Religious faith begins with certainties; the search for truth must begin with doubts.

John Algeo – USA

The immediately preceding verses dealt with two paths: the Open (or exoteric) and the Secret (or esoteric). The Open Path leads the pilgrim out of this world to freedom from all worldly limitationsand sorrows. The Secret Path leads the pilgrim to renounce the liberation that is the goal of the Open Path and to remain instead in this world to serve it and all the otherevolving souls in it. Verses 182 to 195 summarize this theme and complete the second fragment of TheVoice of the Silence on “The Two Paths.”

Silence

A. Verses [182-195].

[182] Thus, the first Path is Liberation.

John Algeo – USA

To understand Baum’s connection with Theosophy, in addition to being aware of the Theosophical Society and its founders, one must obviously also be cognizant of what the Society stands for, that is, of what Theosophy is.

L. Frank Baum, picture taken in 1911

The Theosophical Society has no requirement of belief other than sympathy with its three objects: (1) to form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or color; (2) to encourage the study of comparative religion, philosophy, and science; and (3) to investigate unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in man. Those objects rest on certain assumptions, namely that (1) a single ultimate reality underlies all existence, including all of us; (2) we attempt to understand that reality by our various modes of knowing, namely religion, philosophy, and science; and (3) the aim of human life is to form an understanding of the world around us and of ourselves and our place in the world. The last rests on the assumption that we have greater potential abilities and powers than we are normally aware of.

John Algeo – USA

John Algeo

[A paper for the International Theosophy Conference, August 15-18, 2014, at the International Theosophical Centre, Naarden – The Netherlands.]

International Theosophy Conferences Inc.

The theme of this sixteenth annual meeting, “Theosophy, Unity, and Helping the World — where do we go from here?” is central to both the Theosophical spiritual tradition and the raison d’être of the Theosophical Society. The theme of Unity is basic to the Society’s first Object: “To form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color.” The theme of Helping the World is implicit in the Society’s third Object: “To investigate unexplained laws of Nature and the powers latent in man.” And the Conference theme’s final question of “where do we go from here?” is answered by the Society’s second Object: “To encourage the study of Comparative Religion, Philosophy and Science.” Theosophy is a spiritual tradition. Every great spiritual tradition has both a theory and a practice. And so does Theosophy.

Regeneration and the Objects of the T.S

Radha Burnier – India

[Recognizing regeneration as the kernel of all Theosophical work, the International Theosophical Centre at Naarden, The Netherlands, jointly with the Federation of Theosophical Societies in Europe, organized two seminars in July 1990, with a number of office-bearers, workers and members of the Society from different countries as participants. The proceedings of the seminar were published as a book under the title Human Regeneration.]

From a Student

[Originally printed in Vidya, a magazine edited by associates of the United Lodge of Theosophists in Santa Barbara, CA, in its autumn 2013 issue, and posted on the Website www.theosophysb.org/site/publications.html ]

“There is no Religion higher than Truth” (Motto of the Maharajah of Benares).

John Algeo – USA

Silence

The preceding group of verses, 150-160, dealt with the Path as a communal experience, a band of servers who, life after life, unselfishly devote themselves to the welfare of others. The next dozen verses focus on the individual’s inner self. They treat the theme of Wisdom and humbleness, and in the process play with the concept of opposites, which are not always what they seem.

A. Verses [161-172].

[161] Be humble, if thou wouldst attain to Wisdom.

[From Lucifer 1 (January 1888): 344-346; reprinted in H. P. Blavatsky’s Collected Writings 7:173-175.]

It is divine philosophy alone, the spiritual and psychic blending of man with nature, which, by revealing the fundamental truths that lie hidden under the objects of sense and perception, can promote a spirit of unity and harmony in spite of the great diversities of conflicting creeds. Theosophy, therefore, expects and demands from the Fellows of the Society a great mutual toleration and charity for each other’s shortcomings, ungrudging mutual help in the search for truths in every department of nature — moral and physical. And this ethical standard must be unflinchingly applied to daily life.

John Algeo – USA

After the arrival in India of the two Founders of the Theosophical Society, that land became the center of Theosophical activity and has remained so ever since, at least in the sentiments of Theosophists around the world. In fact, other countries have developed more innovative methods of disseminating Theosophy than the traditional lecture-discussion format that characterizes the meetings of most Theosophical Lodges. However, the ambience of the Theosophical Society is intimately linked with India, in no small measure because of the activities of the two Founders in that land.

Jim Colbert – USA

[This essay was first published in the spring 2014 issue of International Theosophy Magazine. It is reproduced here in a slightly revised form.]

Introduction:

The article you are about to read does not portend to touch the depth and scope of all Theosophical traditions. It is meant to provide a platform for comparison and understanding. It is said by some that the act of recognizing the similarities and differences between traditions can help one to gain a firmer understanding of their own tradition. It is our hope that it will bring forth comments from all traditions with challenges and agreements. We will give focus to the Theosophical Society Point Loma, the Theosophical Society Adyar, and the United Lodge of Theosophists. We are aware there is a significant tradition associated with the Theosophical Society Pasadena. Although they possess an extensive Theosophical library, they do not seem responsive towards the possibility of a greater Theosophical unity at this time. There is also the Alice Baily tradition, Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophy and the Liberal Catholic Church. However, rightly or wrongly from our perspective, these traditions appear to have blended with Christianity and it is hoped a separate article should give focus to these traditions. Possibly we will be challenged on this view. Finally, there are multiple other smaller traditions plus “independent Theosophists” that are deserving of recognition. We plan to offer a forum in the future for these views.

John Algeo – USA

Silence

The metaphor of the “three vestures,” introduced in verses 140 and 141, is continued in the following verses.

A. Verses [142-149].

[142] The Shangna robe, ’tis true, can purchase light eternal. The Shangna robe alone gives the Nirvāna of destruction; it stops rebirth, but, O lanoo, it also kills compassion. No longer can the perfect Buddhas, who don the Dharmakaya glory, help man’s salvation. Alas! shall Selves be sacrificed to Self; mankind, unto the weal of units?

[The text here is that from The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett from the Mahatmas M. and K.H, transcribed and compiled by A. T. Barker, arranged and edited by Vicente Hao Chin, Jr. (Manila: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993).]

Letter Number 120 Received January 1884

[Introduction:] This letter is . . . one of the most important letters in the book so far as the Theosophical Society — especially in the West — is concerned.

The Mahatma has just ordered two telegrams to be sent, one to Mrs. Kingsford and one to Mr. Sinnett, to notify both that Mrs. Kingsford should continue as President of the London Lodge. The telegram to Sinnett is short and to the point: “Kingsford must remain president.”