Theos-Talk Archives (September 1999 Message tt00049)

Hello again Art,

> Peter , I most sincerely believe with all my soul when I say this that we
> will be truer to our traditrion as theosophists if we acknowledge that as
> much as the early thesophists received what they felt was
> guidance from the
> Masters, that we can now say that such guidance is superfluous.

That is a HUGE assumption Art.  What is this belief based on?
And how does eliminating the Teachings of HPB and the Masters from the TS
make us truer to our tradition as theosophists?

> Before the
> dawn even a old match or a candle will do, now that we have so much more
> available than people did a hundred years ago I think its really a shame
> people still want to huddle about a few burnt matches even if
> they were the
> ones actually held by HPB.

Yes, that would be a shame if the works left to us by HPB were the
equivalent to a few burnt matches and we were all huddled around them.  But
I would question whether this rather patronising and disparaging picture of
other theosophists is an accurate one.  HPB's and the Masters' works are not
the equivalent of a few burnt out matches and when HPB wrote that it would
not be until the 20th Century that the value of the SD would be realised, I
don't believe she thought it would be so either.  Are these statements based
on a serious study of the SD, ISIS, the Mahatma Letters, the Voice of the
Silence and so on?

 My own experience in the UK is that the number of people reading and
studying HPB's works is increasing slowly but steadily.  THough judging from
what I read and hear in this group, probably none of these people belong to
the TS!

> Theosophy is much more ancient than HPB ... Sankaracharya was a
> theosophist... Jacob Boehme was onme, and so were countless others... I do
> respect what HPB accomplished which was monumental for the time and her
> vast writings, but  these need not be the sole or only source for
> theosophists in this day! - Art


 Of course Theosophy is more ancient than HPB, and of course HPB's works are
not the only source for theosophists.  However, let me clarify what you are
saying, which is:

...if we study the works of Sankaracharya, Boehme or the Bhagavat Gita (and
which we can quite safely say are old and very old) then in this case we are
not huddled around a few burnt out matches but are studying Theosophy.  In
addition, if we  study the book "Jesus Christ Son of God" as you have done
in your study group then we are doing something relevant to the present day
spiritual needs.  HOWEVER - if as theosphists we study the teachings of
Theosophy given out directly by the Adepts and HPB  (which, incidently, are
very recent compared to Sankara the Bhagavat Gita and Jesus Christ) then we
are doing nothing better than huddling around a few burnt matches and are
not being true to our tradition as Theosophists.

Sorry Art, but this just doesn't add up - regardless of the value of
studying Sankaracharya and the Gita and so on.


...Peter


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