Theos-Talk Archives (August 1998 Message tt00387)

August 21 st

Dear Tony:

Enjoyed your comments -- mostly to agree in our views

The graduated statues are at Bamian on the North side of the Hindu Kush
mountains.
I was several times in Afghanistan in the Winter when, unfortunately the
passes (at 14,000 feet) were deeply snow-bound and I was unable to cross and
see them.  I was not able to pay a visit in summer, when I might have been
able.  In the  S D these are referred to in Vol. II 338.

Some years ago the National Geographic had an issue in which they featured
many of the statues in photographs.  Very interesting.

Best wishes,

Dallas

> Date: Wednesday, August 19, 1998 6:04 PM
> From: "Alpha (Tony)" <alpha@dircon.co.uk>
> Subject: Re: TS as a mystery school?? -- not a bad idea

> Brant Jackson writes:
>
>>Dallas:
>>    You set forth at very detailed list of concepts taught in modern
Theosophy
>>which it offers to the public in plain language for the first time.   I
agree
>>that we have gotten much more detail from the S.D. and other Theosophical
>>works than from the "fragments of an ancient faith", but that is the
nature of
>>secret organizations.
>> I personally like Barborka's The Divine Plan, a study guide to the S.D.,
for
>>the way its organizes and presents these doctrines, starting with the
>>fundamental propositions, in a gradual and sequential pattern.  Given the
fact
>>that the church no longer has the power to burn us at the stake for
heresy,
>>public disclosure is now both possible and necessary.
>> But I happen to think that Theosophy must be more than study and
memorization
>>of facts.  It must be more than a mere body of esoteric knowledge.  There
is
>>too much in its literature that stresses that personal self-transformation
>>through a process of union, [the Path?] is necessary to really understand
>>[through experience?] the occult truths contained in the S.D.    IMHO, the
>>mystery schools probably taught the process necessary to understand the
>>knowledge, always a subjective process depending on the development of the
>>seeker, as well as the knowledge itself.   Are we doing this today?
>
>An interesting point you make. As tourists we are at different stages in
our
>efforts to find the Path.  Studying/meditating the SD (as is going or not
>going to work for example),is all part of climbing the mountain path, and
>all that that entails.  It offers balanced growth.  To develop one aspect
at
>the expense of others causes pain.  It is important to appreciate that we
>have thousands + + + lives, therefore it might be someone's lot to study in
>this life, another aspect in another.  In the Introductory to the SD (xix)
>when speaking of two Europeans and Col. Olcott: "As permitted, Colonel
>Olcott has given out some of this teaching in various ways; if the other
two
>have not, it has been simply because they were not allowed: the time for
>public work having not yet come."
>Part of practical theosophy is studying/meditating the Theosophical
>teachings.  It is possible to be "part" of that, and that effects our
lives,
>and the lives of those around us.  Just some understanding of karma and
>reincarnation can have a huge effect, but linked in to the other teachings:
>races, rounds, giant stone Buddhas in Afghanistan of various hights, etc.,
>make it all mean a lot more.  4th round/5th race - developing/forming that
>aspect of MANAS and so on.
>On theos-talk we tend to see just that theos-talk aspect.
>
>Tony
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