Theos-Talk Archives (September 1999 Message tt00080)

Hi Rich,

you wrote:
> I will only say this: there is NO EXCUSE for not taking
> advantage of spiritual opportunities available in the
> present.

I would agree with you there Rich, though I wouldn't stress it as severely
as you do.  I think the difficulty is that you have chosen to define for the
rest of us what *you* think our spiritual opportunities are and then condemn
everyone as foolish if they don't take your advice.

> The more obvious path, it seems to me -- based on the very model of HPB's
> teachings and life -- is to study printed works and live the ethical life
> UNDER THE GUIDANCE of a qualified teacher(s).  HPB did this, and
> her Teachers indicated They did this.

HPB certainly stated that one could not become a true OCCULTIST without the
aid of a Teacher.  But I don't recall her advocating, or even hinting, that
any and everyone who wished to become a Theosophist had to follow  a Guru.
As I mentioned in my last post there are examples where those who applied to
become chelas of HPB and the Masters were asked to think again on the basis
that they were not yet ready. Her own statement on the 'spiritual life' from
the Key to Theosophy is more general than your own and is as follows:

"..a true Theosophist must put into practice the loftiest moral ideal, must
strive to realise his unity with the whole of humanity, and work ceaselessly
for others."  (page 25)

I imagine there are plenty of spiritual opportunities open to us every
moment of the day if we take this as an ideal to strive for.

> Theosophy in the current century has produced
> NOT A SINGLE ADEPT (that we are aware of).  Are we to
> just hang on, hoping that after enough grasping
> in the dark, light will suddenly flash out from anove?

The idea that we are all hanging on hoping for the light to flash doesn't
fit for me, Rich, and I suspect it doesn't fit for a number of other
people.  It is probably wise to speak for yourself in these matters.

You write:
> For those who do not want to pursue Adeptship directly, who do not want
> broader horizons, who do not want the guidance of living Masters, by all
> means, limit oneself to study groups where the blind lead the blind.

What you are saying here seems to boil down to:

"If you don't do what I am suggesting this means you don't want to broaden
your horizons and have the guidance of living Masters and therefore you wish
to limit yourself to groups where the blind lead the blind."

I don't accept these are the alternatives.

>From what I understand you to say in a recent post you have very recently
found what you believe to be a living Master and are 'studying' with him.  I
hope that proves truly profitable for you, Rich, I really do.  I know two
people who spent many years with Namkai Norbhu.  One of them, 'alive with
the spirit of Buddhism', now runs his own retreats on Tibetan Buddhist
meditation.  The other person finally gave it all up because he came to find
the whole thing "incredibly repetitious" and "boring", to use his words.  I
would say such mixed experiences are the common ground of any tradition and
teacher.

>  But be warned -- in HPB's writings she said that the "sluggards"
>  who had not advanced to a certain point by Dec. 31st, 1899,
>  "will have to renounce every chance of advancement in their
>  present incarnation -- until the year 1975."

So if we don't sieze the spiritual oppotunities that you decide for us we
are just "sluggards", condemned not only by you but by HPB as well!

Rich, why not extoll and share the virtues of your new endeavour and the
understanding it brings rather than using your energy to deprecate the
efforts of others?  To run us down won't add any more credance to you own
endeavours.

All the best to you, especially in your own spiritual path - I mean that.

...Peter






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