Theos-Talk Archives (January 1999 Message tt00356)

Dear Daniel,

My own process of studying has been pretty much the same has your own and
Rich's, and I'm sure many others, by the sound of it - i.e., using HPB's
works as the core of one's studies, doing some backround work, then coming
back to the core again.  There are times when I feel I have wondered too far
off the original thread and have got too imersed in the background info and
lost sight of the core study.  I  imagine it is this which is Tony's
concern, but I think its just a question of balance.

You mention in your post that you uncovered 30 unpublished Mahatma Letters.
WOuld you tell us some more about this?

Best wishes,

Peter


> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-theos-talk@pippin.imagiware.com
> [mailto:owner-theos-talk@pippin.imagiware.com]On Behalf Of
> Caldwell/Graye
> Sent: 29 January 1999 04:07
> To: theos-talk@theosophy.com; Daniel Caldwell
> Subject: Re: Distractions vs. ignorance (avidya)
>
>
>
> Rich wrote:
>
> > I well
> > remember the first time I read the S.D., and I was swimming in
> Odin this,
> > Daiviprakriti that, Osiris and Prometheus and Buddha and Vasubandhu and
> > Shankaracharya and Kiu-Te coming out my ears.  Without the
> background reading
> > I've done on the topics HPB has mentioned, I wouldn't even be able to
> > understand why her writings are important, or really even what
> they're saying.
> > So yes, I think your option A is a very good one.  Read HPB,
> then read the
> > material she is discussing, and then go back and read her again.
> >
> > Have I written anything different in the last two months?  Honestly?
>
> Rich, I fully agree with your statement above.  When I first
> began reading and
> studying HPB's writings, I ran across literally hundreds of names
> and terms that
> meant little if anything to me.  I guess I could have ignored all of HPB's
> statements containing such terms and confined myself to the
> material that was
> fairly understandable at the time.  But I don't see how you can read and
> understand much of what HPB writes without doing background
> reading in order to
> fill in the gaps.  Not the gaps in HPB's comments. But the gaps
> in your own
> knowledge about many things HPB writes about.
>
> For example, years ago when I first read the Mahatma Letters, I
> read various
> references to the Red Caps and Yellow Caps and to Tsong-khapa,
> etc.  I did not
> know anything about what these terms meant.  Who was Tsong-khapa?
>  Yellow Caps?
> What was this all about?  etc etc.
>
> Or who was Stainton Moses or CC Massey?  I understood some of
> what the Mahatma KH
> was writing about but because I had no background on these two
> individuals, some
> of what the Mahatma said meant little or nothing to me.  But
> because I WANTED  to
> understand more fully KH's comments, I took the time and effort
> to dig up some
> biographical info, etc. on these two individuals.  As a result, I
> gained a fuller
> and more appreciative understanding of KH's words.  Some might call this a
> "distraction" but I wanted to understand KH's comments and I
> think my digging into
> background material has helped me to understand more fully KH's letters.
>
>
> Who is Suby Ram mentioned in the Mahatma Letters?  I was able to
> uncover that this
> person was a Radhasoami Master.  As a result I have come to a much greater
> understanding of a dozen related Theosophical issues and
> teachings.  Distraction
> some might say.  I would have to disagree.  I have gained much
> insight as a result
> of what Master M. wrote about Suby Ram and my digging into the
> background material
> about this person.
>
> Digging into background material aided me in discovering 30
> Mahatma Letters, most
> of which have never been published yet.  Digging into background
> material aided me
> in discovering a complete transcription of THE INNER GROUP
> TEACHINGS OF HPB which
> was subsequently published by Point Loma Publications.
>
> I could give hundreds & hundreds of other examples.
>
> Daniel
>
>
>
>