Theos-Talk Archives (December 1998 Message tt00148)

>Are you suggesting that one should sit idly by and allow the hungry masses
>to starve to death on the basis that it is doing them some good? "Inaction
>in a deed of mercy becomes an action in a deadly sin." ("The Voice of the
>Silence", pg 31).
>

Of course not. I agree with your quote, which is not necessary.

My point (which apparently is my fault, since everyone seems
to miss it) is that we need to act with wisdom and insight. In the
case that I noted in Africa, the ecologists suggested that providing
tools and training so that the people could grow their own food
together with birth control would produce better long-term results
than just giving them food (a short-term help that brought on even
more misery later).


>Are these the same "expert ecologists" who fill their own stomaches with
>grants from tax payers money, while all the time burried up to the eye
balls
>in statistics gleaned from mayavic *effects*?
>

You can take their study results or not. Its a free country. But to rush
in and "help" people without insight into what they really need (and
they don't usually know themselves) often leads to greater misery.
This is a fact that you can ignore if you want to.


>"If thou art told that to become Arhan thou hast to cease to love all
>beings - tell them they lie."
>
>("The Voice of the Silence, pg 28).
>

This has nothing to do with what I am saying. (as an aside, it
is also not nice to suggest that the Theravadin Arhat doesn't
love others. This is a typical "slur" that Mahayana people used
for a long time although I have noticed that modern books don't
do this). There is nothing wrong with one religious group
thinking that they are on a superior path, but to suggest that
a spiritual Adept of another school has no love for others is wrong).
Any Theravadin would feel affronted by HPB's quote. Her quote is
pure Mahayana, but I don't think it is accurate.


>What is your view as regards the (spiritual) "food" - Theo-sophia - given
to
>Humanity by Masters/HPB?  Is this, too, merely prolonging our own agony?!
>

My view is that it has to be given by those who Know what it means.
HPB knew, but I wonder whether we Theosophists do today.


>>My point is that "helping" other people is not always an
>> easy or straightforward thing to do. And sometimes it
>> backfires so that the helpee is worse off.
>
>
>It only "backfires" if there is a personality in the way to "backfire"
>against.
>

No, it backfires out of ignorance of the situation. You don't have to
agree with me on this, but the Bodhisattva schools through the East
all have taught the necessity of gaining compassion first (this drives
the train) then insight and wisdom second in order to help others.
They do not rush out to help others in ignorance and hope to gain
wisdom in a next life although if someone asks for help obviously
they would do so to the best extent that they can. Theosophy
emphasizes compassion and helping others but gives little
guidance on how to get the insight and wisdom necessary to
help others properly. This is a rather strong criticism, and if others
have reasons for thinking differently I would like to hear them, but
just giving me quotes from HPB doesn't change my criticism on
this point.

Jerry S.