Theos-Talk Archives (January 1998 Message tt00354)

> Dallas TenBroeck wrote:
>
> Interesting comments are made.  But, can I be made party to the source from
> which they emanate ?

That's the whole trick, isn't it?

< pregnant pause >



< transition >

Which comments are you talking about? Keith's, Sage's, Mine, ... all of
them?

> What is stated in Theosophy in general is that the kind of information
> given in our Theosophical Texts is that useful for maturing persons, to
> widen and deepen their minds range and attention.  I believe that such
> material as we are offered is that which is prepared and offered to those
> who are passing out of the stage of "feed me," to the stage of:  "I will
> seek and learn for myself !  All I need are pointers from those with
> previous experience which are reasonable, useful, true and which I can
> understand."

Are we ever out of the need for Spiritual "communion?"

"I will seek and learn for myself" brings with it a corollary: "I will
think and decide for myself," implying a dependance on one's ability to
evaluate, judge and form personal opinions, right or wrong and then be
responsible in expressing them. It takes courage to do that, especially
when you can't always lean on a quote from a book to shore up your
self-doubts.

> The time for open mouthed astonishment, and the vain hope for sudden
> illumination without doing any work for one's self, and especially for
> others, is quite past.

"Ah-ha" moments of illumination continue to happen all the time.
Sometimes a lot of the prep "work" is unconscious. They won't make you
continually omniscient, but did they ever? Lose the sense of wonder and
you fall hopelessly into the false belief that what you think you know
is all there is to know.

> At least that is what Theosophy seems to be saying to us as I see it.  But
> what troubles me most is to read many opinions which are not referenced
> with those sources to which we, the readers, might go for verification of
> propositions or statements that are offered, especially of actual
> statements in our texts upon which those are based.

Nothing will petrify the "truth" faster than that. It's like saying that
the established system is more important the the living creative
individual. If you really believe in the presence of the God within us,
you can't close the door to it in favor of only what can be found in a
few books. "For thereby, you may have entertained Monads unaware."

It's scary, I'll agree. It puts the onus of responsibility right where
it should be if we really believe in evolution. Namely, square on the
shoulders of each one of us. It forces us to humanize, warts and all. It
breeds the compassion we all talk about.

To me, responsibility means taking independant action vis-a-vis
hierarchy. By hierarchy, I mean the "Monad in me," and "all that is one
with THAT."

> I would be grateful, and am grateful for all those who give references to
> cover the basis from which they start.  Other wise, it is only opinion, and
> that may satisfy the writer, but may not be able to inspire those who
> desire to verify the logic or basis upon which such statements and opinions
> are made.

The truth is not in the books. It's in you and me and the rest of us.
Always was. Try throwing all of your books away for a few years and
getting around on what's leftover.
Again, if you really believe in the presence of the God within, ...

Mark
--------
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