Theos-Talk Archives (December 1998 Message tt00143)

In a message dated 12/9/98 3:48:24 AM, Daniel wrote:

<<ALSO CONSULT THE THEOSOPHICAL GLOSSARY WHERE HPB WRITES ABOUT "KHADO"
(P. 177), DAKINI (P. 95), INCUBUS (P. 154).  Please COMPARE HPB's
definitions of these terms with Nicholas' definition:  "a visualized
goddess ie an elemental or deva that is sexually arousing".  Are HPB and
Nicholas writing about the same kind of "entity"?>>

I am sorry to say that the Glossary is not to be trusted, as per the study by
Boris de Zirkoff.  Only the first 32 pages were read and proofed by HPB.
Daniel's quote is another example of the Glossary's untrustworthiness.

As a contradicting passage, surely approved by HPB, we find at Stanza of Dzyan
vol. 2, X.41:

"They took wives fair to look at.  Wives from the "mindless," the narrow-
headed.  They bred monsters, wicked demons, male and female.  Also Khado
(Dakini) with little minds."

Rich's comment: notice here that Khado are separated off from the wicked
monsters.  The Khado are without Manas, apparently, but not inherently evil.
HPB's comment proves this:

on page 271 of vol. 2 of the SD the following:

"But with the Fourth Race we reach the purely human period.  Those who were
hitherto semi-divine Beings, self-imprisoned in bodies which were human only
in appearance, became physiologically changed and took unto themselves wives
who were entirely human and fair to look at, but in whom LOWER, MORE MATERIAL,
though sidereal, beings had incarnated.  These beings in female form (Lilith
is the prototype of these in the Jewish tradition) are called in the esoteric
accounts "Khado" (Dakini, in Sanskrit).  Allegorical legends call the chiefs
of these Liliths, Sangye Khado (Buddha Dakini, in Sanskrit); all are credited
with the art of "walking in the air," and the greatest KINDNESS TO MORTALS;
but NO MIND--only animal instinct."

This again proves my point that contradictions are to be found in Theosophical
literature which should give us great pause against slavish (mindless)
devotion: not only aren't these "elementals" evil, per se, but their head is
called "Buddha Dakini" which could be translated "enlightened female spirit."
(As such legends are, according to HPB, allegorical, we might assume that
Buddha Dakini actually refers to Buddhi, the human intuitional and spiritual
faculty, personified as an outer spiritual being.)

Surely, if one were to casually play with these elementals, and imagine that
one were in communication with the Buddha Dakini, all kinds of trouble would
ensue.  But it is important here that HPB uses **TIBETAN** terms wherever she
speaks of the "esoteric" teaching.  Khado and Sangye are the commonest of
Tibetan *Buddhist* terms.  So Theosophists exploring Tibetan Buddhism would
seem to have HPB's full support!

Rich Taylor