Jan Nicolaas Kind -- Brazil 

Once in a while  there seems to surface an urge to “modify” the wording of our Three Objects. So, in order to determine if such a alteration makes any sense, let’s go over them:

These are the  objects as officially adopted by the TS Adyar in 1896:

1. To form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or colour.

2. To encourage the study of comparative religion, philosophy and science.

3. To investigate unexplained laws of Nature and the powers latent in man.

Jan Nicolaas Kind – Brazil

Thought – One

I vividly remember how my dear mother, in the early 1950’s when I was a child of 5 or 6, would hold and firmly squeeze my hand while walking across busy streets with traffic in the centre of Amsterdam. It was that sort of feeling you get as a child, that your mum wants to take care of you in a potentially dangerous situation. The squeezing I had instinctively taken for granted, but there was one particular street near the Royal Palace and Dam square, called the Raadhuisstraat (English: Town Hall street) where, if we went across there, the squeezing increased to an almost intolerable level. A few years later, I must have been around 7 or 8 years old, and after I had repeatedly asked my mother why the squeezing on that particular street always seemed to increase, she took the time – and had the courage – to tell me why.

The first step is to cultivate an awareness of one’s own internal thought processes. This can be achieved by taking up meditation practices. A point comes when the ego disappears and the Self or Atman reveals itself, and Gnosis dawns. “Ultimately, it is impossible to renounce oneself and the world because no such ‘self’ or ‘world’ really exists—which, of course, is precisely what must be Realized,” writes B. L. Razdan. In the words of Yogananda, “The deeper the realization of a man, the more he influences the whole universe by his subtle spiritual vibrations, and the less he himself is affected by the phenomenal flux.” (Bhavan’s Journal, January 16-31, 2026)

Douglas Keene – USA

The author

Life is challenging and seems to get more so every day. How can we cope with the stresses and strains in daily living, both on a personal level, but increasingly on a societal basis. Through modern technology, travel, and instant communication the world is shrinking, where we learn instantaneously what is occurring everywhere, even a great distance. Although conflicts might be geographically remote, they can still impact our psyche and sense of well-being. Messages of trauma populate the daily news and social media. How can we find equilibrium in the modern world?